I would like to say something about what really bothers me about how many Nigerians, especially those at home view African Americans, especially in the context of the Black Lives Movement.

There is a lot of condescension - which both amuses and enrages me because Nigerians have not earned the right to look down on African Americans. Their struggle for true emancipation in America should inspire Nigerians to do the same for themselves. Nigerians could use the help.

The narrative about African Americans that informs the thinking of many Nigerians is straight from the racist right wing. When we say there’s an opportunity gap in education (achievement gap), it is between blacks and Latinos on the one hand, and whites and Asians on the other.

The average African American beats the average Nigerian at home, dem nor be your mate. Compared to Nigerian schools, their schools are well-funded, and resourced, their teachers are certified, well paid, and their roofs don’t leak. Where do you get off looking down on them?

The BLM is similarly a fight for racial equity and social justice in the American context. It doesn’t mean that they are as miserable as folks in Nigeria. I can walk the streets of Baltimore or Chicago past midnight and I will be fine.

If you feel unsafe in Baltimore or Chicago, make a call to the police and they will be there in no time. Don’t get it twisted, African Americans are comparing their quality of life to that of the other and saying, this is unacceptable. Nigerians should do that for themselves.

An American can always find a homeless shelter to spend the night in, a food bank to get some food, and a social welfare network. She can walk into a hospital and would be treated, no one would be denied access because dem nor get police report, dem nor get money, yen yen yen.

And we are talking real hospitals o, not big empty halls with big signs attached to them! Again, the Baltimore that Trump regularly trashes is not the Baltimore that my two daughters live in. It has significant challenges but trust me, it is not Lagos, lol.

It will take a century of purposeful work on Africa to get Nigeria (and Africa) to be where the African American nation is in terms of resources and expertise. Rather than being condescending, we should beg them to come to Africa to collaborate with us and help build structures.

African leaders need to reach out to the African American nation - with respect. They can help us. They have challenges but some of America’s best scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers, astronauts, soldiers, policemen, etc. are African Americans.

Numbers don’t lie. In my county (local government) alone we spend half of our $6 billion annual budget on education. Let that sink in: The annual budget of a local school system is $3 billion. Our public high school building would put today’s University of Lagos to shame, lol.

The cost per pupil to educate a child is at least $16,000 a year. Higher if the child is special needs. So, don’t be making mouth because a few of you middle class folks can get on a plane and rise from using resources that were fought for by people seeking a just nation for all.

I have written about this in this essay. Please read. And yea, that’s #BigLion on the dreaded streets of his beloved Baltimore. Be guided! https://arbiterz.com/2020/06/nigerians-and-america-in-the-age-of-george-floyds-rage/

And read this please... https://brittlepaper.com/2019/04/whyimtalkingaboutrace-on-african-writers-empathy-woke-identity-politics-and-skewed-priorities-ikhide-ikheloa/

Bottomline: When you consider where African Americans are today, given the horrors of the middle passage, slavery, racial discrimination, segregation, microaggressions, institutional and structural hurdles, they are geniuses! We need them and we should reach out to them for help!