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  • Racism is Everywhere. Even in Nigeria

    I’ve always believed that many Nigerian scriptwriters aren’t aware they are sitting on a plot goldmine enough for a dozen seasons of TV. 

    This month, we’ve seen people tear their Nigerian passports and politicians electing themselves into power using voter intimidation and violence— we also learnt that people born in inter-tribal marriages are considered to have ‘tainted blood’. But, the icing on the cake is that some Nigerians are taking sides with a racist against fellow citizens. 

    Racism Nigeria Nasarawa elections

    On March 22, 2023, in a Sapele community in Delta state, a group of youths came out to protest the removal of the Board of Directors of the oil and gas company Seplat Energy PLC. 

    The gist here’s that on March 3, 2023, the Federal Government (FG) and the Ministry of Interior withdrew the work and resident permit of Seplat’s CEO, Roger Brown. This was due to a petition filed against him by the workers over allegations of racism, bullying, discrimination, sacking and retiring of Nigerian workers without due process and favouring foreign workers. An instance was when he refused to promote a qualified Nigerian, Emeka Onwuka, to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position. Instead, he hired a fellow Irishman, Mr Alaisdair Mackenzie. 

    Before FG revoked his resident and work permits, Brown received several invitations to address these allegations, but he snubbed them. 

    The Board of Directors, led by Basil Omiyi, has refused to remove Brown from his position as CEO. They, instead, have passed a vote of confidence and accused the media of trying to spread false information. 

    Sadly, it’s 2023, and Nigerians don’t have to japa to experience racism. 

    What else happened this week?

    Women Go Topless to Protest Election Results

    So far, there have been mixed reactions to the results of the gubernatorial elections held on March 18, 2023. In Abia state, there have been celebrations over the victory of the Labour Party candidate, Alex Otti, but the same cannot be said for Nasarawa.

    Racism Nigeria Nasarawa elections

    Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won his re-election bid as governor of Nasarawa. But the women in the state are rejecting this result, accusing him of rigging himself for a second term. On March 23, 2023, they took to the streets topless to express their anger with songs and placards telling INEC to let their votes count as they don’t want Governor Sule, but instead the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate David Ombugadu. 

    In all this, it’s almost funny how despite having four years to prepare for elections, INEC still somehow manages to lose even more credibility every election season. 

    Video of the week

    Question of the Week

    Do you know when your state will hold Local Government elections?

    Ehen one more thing…

    Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweramadu and his wife, Beatrice, have been found guilty of organ trafficking charges. Here’s everything that led up to this case.

    Tolu Omotesho

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  • The shocking results of the US elections has sparked several conversations all over the world which would’ve been incomplete without our very own Chimamanda’s voice.

    In an interview with BBC, Chimamanda schooled Emmett Tyrrell Jr, founder and editor of The American Spectator, who blatantly refused to acknowledge Donald Trump’s racist comments during his electoral campaign.

    She basically said, a white person cannot define what racism stands for- which is only right, considering that fact that racism in America was created and perpetuated by white people.

    But Nigerians are just angry about her statement sha.

    https://twitter.com/OgbeniDipo/status/797423037788422144

    When you’re trying to be woke, but sleep is lowkey catching you.

    https://twitter.com/SomiEkhasomhi/status/797352120693522432

    This hater that was speaking plenty oyinbo.

    https://twitter.com/Thatyorubachic/status/797421426512904193

    This person that needs to read the textbook definition of racism.

    And this person that doesn’t even know the actual meaning of prejudice.

    https://twitter.com/akintonmide/status/797355380577812481

    Apparently, shutting down a racist is now a crime in Nigeria.

    This person that was just too pained by Chimamanda’s awesomeness and greatness.

    For the people that still don’t understand, maybe this little lesson on racism will help sha. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section.

    Maryam

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  • Female students at one of South Africa’s leading multinational schools, Pretoria Girls High, have staged a huge protest against its code of conduct which has been described as racist towards its African students.

    According to the protesters, students who have contemporary African hair texture are forced to arrange their hair differently and are often asked to straighten their hair to make it look ‘tidy’.

    The school which was open to white people only during the Apartheid has also banned students from speaking African languages within the school premises.

    This is shocking considering the fact that South Africa has 11 official languages which include some languages.

    The protest has also sparked interesting conversations on the internet.

    https://twitter.com/TerriStander/status/770317643224055808

    Non-Africans need to understand that Afro hair isn’t untidy!

    Because the hair rule obviously doesn’t apply to the white students in the school.

    https://twitter.com/ThickLeeyonce/status/770137390782504960

    Unfortunately, this protest hasn’t even highlighted half of the racism currently going on in South Africa.

    Adults from everywhere are showing their support for the young protesters.

    It’s unfortunate that young girls have to start fighting for basic rights at a young age.

    https://twitter.com/WickedBeaute/status/770144987166150656

    Discrimination against a certain type of hair and look has to stop.

    We’re still wondering how and why people are so bothered by black girls’ hair in 2016.

    What do you think of this hair ban? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

    Maryam

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  • Nigerian Actress Beverly Shared A Really Weird Experience She Had In A Lebanese Restaurant
    We were just minding our business on Twitter when melanin-popping Nigerian actress, Beverly Naya, came to share her experience at a restaurant in Lagos.

    One day, as a pinging baby girl, she went to eat at one Lebanese-owned restaurant. Who no like better thing abeg?

    To her surprise, the black waiters in the restaurant only served black customers while the Lebanese man attended to the the white woman.

    Instead of shouting, she jejely asked the Lebanese man to come and serve her, as per she’s not eating their food for free.

    Na wa o!

    There shouldn’t be any form of segregation especially on our own soil.

    [zkk_poll post=43913 poll=content_block_standard_format_6]

    Maryam

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  • The Story of Brymo And His Controversial Tweets
    Following the death of the two African-American men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castille, who were both shot by police officers in less than one week, the internet was thrown into major mourning and outrage.

    The Black Lives Matter movement was very much active and many Nigerians shared their concern on this.

    https://twitter.com/busolabiran_/status/750968170530340864

    And it was in this moment that Nigerian musician, Brymo, chose to share another dose of ridiculousness. According to him, the black man ‘likes to suffer’.

    Just a few weeks ago, he told someone who begged him to help fund his education to drop out of school.

    And in this sensitive moment, he decided to blame black people for these killings.

    Brymo has kuku shown his true colours.

    When someone that says school is important says something shows us the importance of school…

    Brymo needs to probably take history classes and learn what racism is really about.

    And if he was trying to be Fela, he has obviously failed, woefully.

    https://twitter.com/ephynatty/status/751029698541416448

    It’s rather unfortunate that some random Nigerian artist believes black people like the racism and prejudice they face.

    Maryam

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  • A Nigerian Man Was Killed In A Racist Attack In Italy
    Only 6 months after getting married, a 36-year-old Nigerian man was murdered during an attempt to defend his wife against a racist attack in Italy.

    On July 5, Emmanuel Nnamdi and his wife Chinyere were walking through Ferno, in northern Italy, when an Italian man, Amedeo Mancini, called her an African monkey and tried to grab her.

    As expected, Emmanuel came to her defence but lost his life from the resulting fight that broke out.

    People who witnessed this horrific event stated how Mancini attacked first and continued to beat Emmanuel with a street sign until he lost consciousness.

    Mancini, who was described as an extremist football fan with links to a far-right political party, claimed he only insulted them because he thought they were stealing a car.

    What makes Emmanuel’s death more unfortunate is, he and Chinyere left Nigeria in 2015 after Boko Haram terrorists set their church on fire, killing both their parents and relatives.

    After embarking on a dangerous journey to Italy through Libya, the couple were housed by a Catholic organisation that joined them in marriage in January 2016.

    Italian interior minister, Angelino Alfano, condemned Emmanuel’s death with a promise to grant Chinyere refugee status .

    Although Emmanuel’s wake was attended by many sympathizers, the political leader of an anti-immigrant party still blamed his death on immigration.

    This goes to show how racism affects every person of colour in all parts of the world. Nigerians are entitled to live in a safe country and shouldn’t have to look for security outside the country.

    Maryam

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  • According To A Nigerian OAP, This Image Is Racist Because It Only Includes Black People

    According to a particular Nigerian OAP who should know better, this picture of a basketball team is racist.

    This OAP claimed the team’s formation was racist because it excluded white players and was the reverse of what black people complain about.

    Without wasting time, let’s take some people back to class so they can understand what racism is actually about.

    Racism is when a society has a system in place that puts a certain group of people at a disadvantage based on the colour of their skin, by denying them access to equal opportunities and services.

    Therefore, black people cannot be racist because we simply do not have the power to be since we are obviously oppressed by said system. And because;

    So to break it down even further:

    In such a society, the group of people being discriminated against, even when competent are usually not acknowledged for their contribution in mainstream industries.

    For those that don’t get it, when basketball was invented in 1891, it was only accessible to white people even after the NBA was formed in 1946. As a result, most white communities had access to basketball courts and could play the game when they wanted.

    However, when these white people moved to wealthier cities, people of colour occupied their communities and started putting the basketball courts to their own use.

    It’s important to bear in mind that other sports remain dominated by a particular race and basketball is the only game black people have easy access to.

    Before making ridiculous statements about racism, let’s not forget how basketball has become a symbol of cultural expression and social achievements in black communities even in the face of so many social barriers.

    Like Jesse Williams said, “If you have no interest in equal rights for black people, then do not make suggestions to those who do”.

    Maryam

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  • There’s A Chinese Supermarket In Abuja But Nigerians Aren’t Really Welcome There
    Nothing can be more shocking than discovering that the management of a Chinese supermarket has allegedly refused entry to Nigerians in groups, except when escorted by a police officer due to their alleged criminal activities.

    According to the DailyTrust, this decision was reached after the supermarket was attacked by armed robbers who stole over 2.5 million Naira, leaving the owners injured.

    Although the sign above says everyone is welcome to the store, an attendant who spoke with DailyTrust, explained that the alleged decision to bar Nigerians wasn’t discriminatory but a safety procedure to prevent recurrence of such activities.

    The attendant however said Nigerians are allowed to enter the supermarket individually and not in groups except accompanied by a policeman.

    In a now deleted post, Facebook user, Mohammad Jamu, claimed to have gone to the supermarket and was well-received only that people had to go in one at a time because of the robbery incident.

    But wait a minute…

    It’s not rocket science to know that there are several ways to improve security in any organisation than making only Nigerians go into the supermarket one at a time.

    This development also points out the flaws in the Nigerian security situation and the risks Nigerians and foreigners are regularly exposed to.

    However, the Nigerian police has to make efforts to curb criminal activities all over the country immediately.

    This post as updated on June 16, 2016, includes the alleged account of the Facebook shopper, Mohammad Jamu, who went to check out the supermarket.

    Maryam

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  • A Nigerian Student In The UK Found Racist Insults Written On Her Food
    Picture this, after a long day at work or school, you get home really tired and open your fridge to get small chow. To your dismay, someone wrote hateful words all over your food.

    This happened to 19 year old biomedical student at Warwick Univeristy, Faramade Ifaturoti, on April 5 when she found racist slur written on her bananas.

    Faramade tweeted her disgust, sharing a picture of the bananas which had “Monkey”and “Nigga” boldly written on them. A picture of Donald Trump was also found on her fridge.

    She was shocked to have been directly targeted and promptly tweeted at the University accomodation’s Twitter account.

    She said “Just entered the kitchen and look at what one of my flatmates has done. I am extremely disgusted @WarwickAccomm. I’m actually fuming! Like what?In 2016? People still behave like this?!”.

    The school’s Twitter account responded and has vowed to look into the racist attack.

    The story spread and was quickly covered by several news publications, including BBC.

    However, this attack has sparked an outrage amongst students of the university and the black community on Twitter in general.

    https://twitter.com/BlasianOverlord/status/717395055389052928
    Because, all people want is to get an education in peace without getting attacked or prejudiced.

    It seems racism is not new at Warwick University.

    And has not received this much media coverage.

    And Faramade isn’t the first person to be attacked.

    This happened in 2015.

    Will the school look into the issue as promised?

    Because, the police at Warwickshire had not been contacted by the school authorities as at 6pm on April 5.

    Why are news publications refusing to outrightly call it a racist attack?

    https://twitter.com/RecklessRai/status/717418349299384320
    Racism is spelled without quotes in the dictionary last time we checked.

    Why should a different spelling of an obviously racist word be regarded as less offensive?

    https://twitter.com/MONTMAN9500/status/717410937104240640
    ​This brings up the argument that “Nigga” and “Nigger” mean the same thing. As much as rappers would like you to think otherwise.

    Why was the Donald Trump picture placed on her fridge?

    Could it be that the culprit sees Donald Trump as some sort of racist icon?

    Will justice be served?

    https://twitter.com/OmoBritiko_/status/717383879787732992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
    Will the person(s) involved be expelled from the University?

    As expected, some people believe Faramade faked the attack to make money off the outrage.

    Some even think she shouldn’t have tweeted the pictures.

    The solidarity of Warwick University students for Faramade is admirable. However, the University management should ensure a crackdown on racism to preserve its integrity.

    Maryam

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  • Is This Picture Racist?
    Racism is very much alive especially in the movie and fashion industries (word to the Oscars).

    Although American clothing brand, Gap tried to address diversity with this ad in 2014.

    And also preach girl power in this campaign that features the only all-children humanitarian circus troup in the world, Le Petit Cirque.

    People on Twitter still think this particular picture is racist.

    https://twitter.com/soulzilla/status/716374318658285577

    And called Gap out for using the little black girl as an armrest.

    https://twitter.com/ASHA7777/status/716370762349682688

    They think the brand is being passively racist.

    They wanted to know why the ad featured only one black girl.

    https://twitter.com/KALIUCHIS/status/716664010263769090

    Is the “arm rest” pose really sending any message in particular to anybody?

    How come this picture from Gap kids didn’t spark any outrage?

    https://twitter.com/MatthewACherry/status/716753585552302080

    If the black girl was portrayed as the ballerina, people may even say they made her twerk.

    Can’t a child rest on another’s head in a playful capmpaign for children?

    Must there be a racial tag to everything these days?

    Na wa oh! Somebody cannot play with you people again.

    However necessary and highly important the fight against racism is, misdirected outrage and anger will not assist in achieving equality.

    [zkk_poll post=26837 poll=content_block_standard_format_13]

    Maryam

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  • When Having A Mixed Race Child Raises An Uncomfortable Question
    Sure, the world may be changing and times moving fast. Cultures that were snubbed in the past are slowly becoming recognised and accepted.  However, a hidden prejudice towards Africans (black people generally) still exists today, whether we like it or not.

    This was shown by the airport security at the Duesseldorf airport.

    Belgium-based politician and activist, Assanta Kanko, who is originally from Burkina Faso was embarrassed when the airport security insisted on questioning her mixed race daughter.

    The politician who is married to a Belgian man took to Twitter to share her ordeal.

    According to her, after presenting all necessary documents with fingerprints, the security man asked her 8 year old daughter, “Is this really your mama?”.

    Apparently, this is not a new thing. Popular Nigerian writer, Chika Unigwe sympathised with her and shared her own experience.

    It has also happened in Greece.

    https://twitter.com/mavroula_/status/714485685130924033

    Some people see the questioning as nothing…

    But a security check against kidnap and abduction.

    @Assita_Kanko you do realize they ask most kids that to make sure they aren’t being kidnapped.. stop making a problem out of nothing..

    — Aaron Thomas (@aaron_1117) March 28, 2016

    But white privilege is a thing whether we admit or ignore it.

    And little children should not be put through such questioning, especially after necessary documents have been presented.

    @MoniqueAdriaan1 if you receive all the evidence you don’t ask such a violent question to a child. Or you find a smart way to investigate

    — Assita KANKO (@Assita_Kanko) March 28, 2016

    Agreed, kidnapping and abduction of children is a global problem. However, smarter and less embarrassing checks should be devised because there are many mixed race children in the world.

    Maryam

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  • Are All Africans Thieves?

    An Apple store in Melbourne, Australia is being accused of racially profiling a group of black students of African descent.

    The teenage boys,  Abdulahi, Gereng,  Ose (Ésë), Mabior, Mohamed, and Petrieaged said they were approached by Apple store employees in Maribyrnong, Melbourne where they were asked to leave out of fear that they might ‘steal something’.

    So being black in a store means you’re looking to steal?? You can’t just be there to maybe PURCHASE something? Or window shop?

    The teenage boys who are students of Maribyrnong College moved to Australia as children from Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Eritrea and Egypt. They were denied entry to the store by a staff member and two security guards.

    Video footage of the incident was captured by one of the students, Francis Ose (Ésë) and has been viewed over 70,000 times.

    https://www.facebook.com/eseose.oseghale/videos/759395487523343/ In the footage the Apple store employee can be heard saying “These guys are just a bit worried about your presence in the store. They are just worried you might steal something”. To which one of the boys replies “Why would we steal something?”. “Guys, end of discussion” the employee cuts off.

    Many people are understandably outraged.

    One of the boys, Mohammed Semra, also commented on the incident on Facebook.

    https://www.facebook.com/mohamed.semra/posts/904419809649061?pnref=story
    Clearly the #BlackLivesMatter movement needs to spread to other parts of the western world.

    The boys have received a lot of press in Australia due to this incident.

    Speaking to 9NEWS in Australia, one of the boys, Abdulahi Haji Ali said, “Because we were a group of black males – teenagers – and teenagers do a lot of stupid stuff but you still can’t give black people that stereotype”.

    Apple has since apologised and said everyone is welcome in its stores.

    And ironically, one of Apple’s CEO Tim Cook’s beliefs on diversity and inclusion, was quoted by the Apple spokesperson: “We want every person who joins our team, every customer visiting our stores or calling for support to feel welcome. We believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. That applies throughout our company, around the world with no exceptions”.

    So tell us, what are your thoughts on this story?

    [zkk_poll post=10123 poll=content_block_standard_format_8]

    Damilola

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