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One thing Nigerians Abroad should note is that they reside in the communities that made them whatever they are. They work, dine, socialize, and fellowship with their communities, 24 hours a day. Whatever stigma, either from the not too-good some Nigerian leaders, or from Media outlets on Nigerians, it affects every aspect of their life. In effect Nigerians are the ones to shake-off the stigma. Government comes, government goes, and Nigeria remains a country. Looking at the other side, Nigerians should be focusing on their image, especially those that live Abroad. They reside where their image matters.

The Media is all right to air events that make news that viewers want to hear. That is how the media get their ratings which affect their revenue as well. Whatever they publish or air about Nigeria are salient facts. However, if they refuse to profile good Nigerians, who are the majority, Nigerian Abroad should start doing that. This could be done through their various organizations at the end of the year or in summer by recognizing prominent Nigerians in their communities. They should endeavor to invite their neighbors, non-Nigerians especially, to these events. If you do not tell people who you are, they would never know, and whatever name they give you would be all right for their consumption.

No one expects a patriotic Nigerian to be happy about the negative publications, such as Medicaid fraud in Houston, the clever way of robbing a bank in Houston, the Internet scam, the 419 and to agree that all Nigerians are scammers. If and when the Media refuses to tell Nigeria positive story, it is left for Nigerians to respond and tell their neighbors who they are.

Research shows a long list of Nigerians that are making tremendous contributions to the economy of their communities, through their professions. The list by far, surpasses those that were being reported, with the blanket report, as scammers. Nigerians should start liberating themselves from the stigma for the sake of their children.

One of the Household names that quickly come to mind is Akeem Olalekan Olajuwon, "Hakeem the Dream." The 7 foot, 255 pounds Basket Ball player for Houston Rockets from 1984-2002. He led the Team to back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. In the 1993-94 season Olajuwon became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA's MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals, MVP Awards in the same season. In 1996, Olajuwon assisted in the gold medal-winning performance of the United States national team and was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team 1997. He was born in Lagos Nigeria. He credited his parents for instilling virtues of hard work and discipline into him and his siblings; "They taught us to be honest, work hard, respect our elders, believe in ourselves." He is a Nigerian. "Hakeem the Dream."

Another Nigerian in Houston is Kasey Lawal, the unassuming 51-year-old CEO of a modern-day oil magnate, Cameroon-American (CAMAC), with offices in London, Johannesburg, and Lagos and Port Harcourt in Nigeria. CAMAC routinely moves, produces or trades about 100,000 barrels of crude oil every 24 hours. An extremely private man, very reserved, yet dignified. But in business, Lawal's bravado comes through. He was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, to a politician and a mother who was a textile store merchant. He started CAMAC in 1986, first as an agriculture and commodities company that took tobacco from the South and made cigarettes to be sold overseas, but later decided to use his knowledge of the energy industry to get into the field of oil exploration. He is a commissioner on the Port of Houston Authority, the largest foreign tonnage port in the United States, and as vice chairman of the Houston Airport Development System Corporation, the sixth largest international airport system in the world. In 1994, he was a finalist for the United States Business Entrepreneur of the Year and also served on the President of the United States Business Advisory Council. He was awarded the US Africa Business Person of the Year, US Africa the Newspaper, 1997. He is from Nigeria, The Heart of Africa.

Another re-known Nigerian in the oil industry is Kenneth Yellowe. He is the CEO of Houston-based Global Energy, Inc. His Company became the first indigenously owned liquid petroleum gas processing plant to operate in Nigeria. Kenneth Yellowe spent 10 years developing the plant capable of producing LPG out of gas previously burned off in air-polluting flares. With no previous experience in oil and gas, he brought in some industry executives as consultants. That is a product from the Heart of Africa.

Name there's you know....

Ok! #Nice