Hi all,

I remember this thread https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-64811.0.html where a whole lot of peeps had so many negative thoughts & words for Alh Aliko Dangote just because he dared to say that 'if the proper statistics were used he would be the richest black person in the world'. And that considering Oprah's background and 'grass to grace' story that dangote should not be on the same pedestal with her.

I'll like to share this link from the punch http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200707260133325 and ask if the same Oprah with her high and humble upbringing is right in stereotyping the generality of Nigerians (including your goodselves) According to her, “all Nigerians – regardless of their level of education – are corrupt.

I'll just like your different takes on this her outburst.

Oprah Winfrey got it wrong
By Our Reader
Published: Thursday, 26 Jul 2007

Recently, America’s TV girl, Oprah Winfrey, called on America to sever diplomatic relationships with world’s topmost corrupt countries.

Worst of all the countries, Oprah surmised, is Nigeria.

According to her, “all Nigerians – regardless of their level of education – are corrupt.”

It is very pathetic that Oprah could ascribe to a larger population, the evil act of an insignificant number of persons in the world’s most populous black nation.

Oprah’s conclusion is based on the fact that a Nigerian of Igbo extraction was caught with $500,000, which was alleged to have been stolen from a foreigner through the Internet fraud popularly known as 419.

Oprah had sponsored an hour-long programme, which ran for several days on the CNN, with the sole aim of exposing the clever tricks espoused by this group of Nigerians to con their victims.

Much has been said about the greed of the victims themselves, and I need not say more about it.

However, at a time when Americans are committing heinous crimes against children and women, nobody has tagged all Americans as murderous.

So, why call all Nigerians rogues because of the sin of a few bad eggs?

Oprah regularly tells her life story: how she was sexually abused by close relations, how she ‘walked the streets’ (Americans’ euphemism for prostitution), etc., but nobody has ever deemed it fit to tag all American men as incestuous because of Oprah and others’ experiences.

She did drugs – just like the typical American teenager, but nobody has cast all American youths in the mould of drug abusers!

So, why should an individual that is supposed to know better sentence a nation to odium for the infraction of a tiny fraction of its population?

I urge Oprah and her likes to disabuse their minds about Nigerians.

Be wary of requests for money from strangers, and if you fall for a scam, blame your greed and not Nigerians.

Okoli Vitalis,

legendchyke@gmail.com

To me, Oprah can say whatever she wants to say about we Nigerians. I am proud to be a black person any day, anytime.
I am surprised she is saying that. But all i know is no country on earth can go through what Nigeria has gone and is going through and still stand like the way we are.
All is she said is story!!!!

Have never liked Oprah and wonder why she can't just be ignored.

She's an American and her comments on Nigerians come from her 'little world'.

She influences nothing in Africa, and is of little consequence in our affairs.

So that fat ho is running her dirty mouth again, the fact that she did drugs and was given a second chance in life shows how u can't just judge people the way she's judging us Nigerians.
Oprah's an idiot no be money cause am, did she know where Nigeria was before she got rich

See generalisation, stupid ho

Guys,

My point is this

As Nigerians, we should be proud of who we are irrespective of the actions of a few of us who are bent on give the 'whole' a bad name, just to make some quick quids which they end up flaunting here in naija. As 4 me, I LOVE MY NAIJA ROOTS TO THE BONE. We have one quality lacking in any other country of the world which is RESILIENCE.

The activities of some bad bunch notwitstanding, Naija even in reincarnation.

Did she really say that, or is her statement being misconstrued somewhere? I don't expect a person of Oprah's age and race to be spouting such sweeping generalisations.
As an African American, she should know the stupidity of generalising a whole group of people based on a few bad eggs, she knows what it is like to have people tar her with the same smallminded stereotypes of being a Black woman in America today, is that not why that store in France refused her entry?

I hear Colin Powell made the same type of statement about Nigerians in his book, (before he went to Abuja and came out  like a Cheshire cat of course). He, being of Jamaican heritage should know first hand about the misguidedness of negative stereotypes.

Oprah likes docile Africans, thats why she is in love with South Africans.

She really disappointed me, but my fellow Naija's who give these people amunission, by being what they accuse us of have to take their share of the blame too.

Am reli ruprise dat b**ch cld say such a thing,i dnt blame her if she been refer to as african slave nt african american or probed of are wrong doing rightly she wld understand what she did and what d nigerians did was 4 d same thing 'MONEY'

most we alway cheat to survive,we nigerians its very common among us.

since she wants to make sweeping generalizations, if all Nigerians regardless of their level of education are corrupt, then all african americans regardless of how rich they are are ghetto, including oprah herself.

She has shot her BIG mouth too far this time. she can bloody well rot in hell!

Oprah’s conclusion is based on the fact that a Nigerian of Igbo extraction was caught with $500,000, which was alleged to have been stolen from a foreigner through the Internet fraud popularly known as 419.

So, why call all Nigerians rogues because of the sin of a few bad eggs?


Oprah regularly tells her life story: how she was sexually abused by close relations, how she ‘walked the streets’ (Americans’ euphemism for prostitution), etc., but nobody has ever deemed it fit to tag all American men as incestuous because of Oprah and others’ experiences.

She did drugs – just like the typical American teenager, but nobody has cast all American youths in the mould of drug abusers!

So, why should an individual that is supposed to know better sentence a nation to odium for the infraction of a tiny fraction of its population?

I urge Oprah and her likes to disabuse their minds about Nigerians.

Nigerians should be united in refutting generalized insults like this.

I implore Nigerians in the Diaspora to please counter and caution Oprah.

Be wary of requests for money from strangers, and if you fall for a scam, blame your greed and not Nigerians.

Tell me which country has people who have never stolen or defrauded anyone? Has she never met an American con man?

That person who had his money stolen, was it not because of the lure of sharing stolen money? Thats what 419 often is. Some greedy person entised by the promise of a share in obviously shady  money.

These people would happily become criminals if it means they will share in the loot, even when they believe the money is coming from so called third world countries.They should be described as accomplices.

Who gives Opray a shit, even if she really said that, America will never cut relation wit nigeria and nigerians, dey need us n we need dem,

Thats her opinion and also her headache we going to be what we are and who we are forever.

Maybe we should all sign sumin like a protest and demand an apology from her. Admin culd help us

Make una help me tell oprah say her mama and her papa
na corruption go kill dem

Silly a*sh*le! Thats what she is! Buffoon!

its a free world lets allow the over blown baby elephant air her views

lol I saw that pik that was posted above and the first thing that came time my mind was the letter "O".

^^LOL. sheesh 190