NewStats: 3,262,011 , 8,175,868 topics. Date: Saturday, 31 May 2025 at 02:28 PM 6w347

Yesterday, I was driving through Yeoville in Johannesburg when I glimpsed a sign through the glass windows of a hotel lobby (Safari Hotel) which boldly advised visitors thus: "This is to inform the public that Nigerian Nationals are not allowed in this hotel." I took offence with my South African companions and began to immediately wonder what sort of madness and discrimination I had just witnessed. Simple logic after all, demands that You cannot profile a group of people (in this case, all Nigerians) as a criminals, pimps and fraudsters.


Anyway, still seething with rage, I took a solid reflection of Nigerians’ situation in this city when I again, dashed through the streets of Hillbrow and Central Business District of Johannesburg. I couldn’t help but marvel at how the activities of Nigerians, mostly, had reshaped the landscape of this city. Images of a typical central Lagos pervades here: Petty traders hawking alongside heaps of refuse; drug dealers pedaling their illicit trade, prostitutes and their pimps and general organized chaos. The deep, baritone accent of the Nigerian English easily gives these perpetrators away. Added to that, they are loud, brazen and shameless in deprecating the city in promoting their trades; and in the process, discomforting the very people that had welcomed them into their land.



I am in full agreement that the insanity of the Johannesburg city centre cannot be blamed entirely on Nigerians. But please bear with me. This article is about Nigerians and their preference for a squalid existence in a foreign land rather than staying home for a more productive life. Nigerians will raise travel funds (flight tickets, accommodation, food, visa, etc), an amount sizeable to establish a reasonable small scale business, and use it to sojourn in foreign lands doing petty things they’d never dream about. If you looked closely, you would see that the culprits are mostly dregs from the lower rungs of the Nigerian society. They are largely unskilled and found their way to South Africa with only the clothes on their backs. They have now become a menace to the society that harbors them.



These Nigerians are now South Africa’s problems because their own nation would rather fete and defend criminal elements in the political class rather address the serious socio-economic challenges that drive Nigerians from their homelands. They would prefer instead to live in the squalor of Johannesburg.



As much as I wonder at the choices people sometimes make in deciding their futures, I will typically blame the Nigerian government for letting down these fragile set of people. They couldn’t find the security they needed at home so they sojourned abroad only to live an existence that they should rightly be ashamed of. They do not trust their own government to protect and provide for them.



And really, how can anyone in his right mind trust a government that celebrates mediocrity and criminality. A government that is content to leave its citizens to the wimps of foreign countries because it had conveniently absconded from its role.



As we speak, the mess that is the Nigerian government continues to unfold. I awoke this morning to news of the Presidential pardon for a group of VIP criminals in Nigeria. It was a decision as much shameful as it is reckless in its recommendations. I see no basis for this latest government indiscretion to pardon people who pillaged our commonwealth and mortgaged the future of our sons and daughters. A pardon for People who’s various acts of disservice is the very reason many of us are languishing in foreign lands because there is nothing credible to come back to.



The arrogance of our political leadership certainly has no limit and their mindlessness is a calamity which final chapters are yet to be written. They are so shameless, even shame has lost its meaning. Nigeria will surely not find salvation with these crop of political leaders

.

My questions to fellow naija folks is that why do prefer to suffer abroad than to hustle in Nigeria. Many African countries are envious of our black gift from God. Imagine selling your house to buy visa, travel tickets to abroad to start afresh in the name of various national challenges which great countries have ed through in their nation building.

Sometimes it seems, you don’t need too many reasons to hate Nigeria and I feel so hateful towards my country right now. http://m.news24.com/nigeria/MyNews24/Nigeria-will-never-pull-through-like-this-20130327

Atleast you jave tasted what South Africans have to deal with. That is what Nigerians do in a country that has welcomed them. Then people shout xenophobia when their hosts have had enough.

I have also been to some countries were Nigerians are not allowed into their hotels.

everyone has got problems. not just nigerians, so single us out?

2nd to comment... Mstchew.... Naija is nearin d bottomless pit... I bring out ma 8 inch dick and self-service on d govt...

And when u hear of this south africa you will think its one modest country. I don't blame u people. Na nigerians wey dey go there I blame.

Our crime rate near south africa own? Police will kill people publicly and and go free. Men women and children are molested day in day out, celebrities killing loved ones.

Mtcheeeew

Nice move by SA

nig2change: .

My questions to fellow naija folks is that why do prefer to suffer abroad than to hustle in Nigeria. Many African countries are envious of our black gift from God. Imagine selling your house to buy visa, travel tickets to abroad to start afresh in the name of various national challenges which great countries have ed through in their nation building.

Sometimes it seems, you don’t need too many reasons to hate Nigeria and I feel so hateful towards my country right now. http://m.news24.com/nigeria/MyNews24/Nigeria-will-never-pull-through-like-this-20130327

You could answer the question by telling us why you're in south Africa instead of hustling at "home"....

Nigerians are the shameless ones. They should come home and settle. Even if they can't live in the north, southwest is peaceful. Just last year, lots of nigerians were deported, it's a great shame to the name of nigeria already. If nigerians continue this way, Ghana may even deport nigerians or ban them from participating in their activities later

complete this sentence:





IF TO SAY....

Woww....nice write up

racist bastardss

LONG before Nigerians started emigrating to J'burg, the crime rate in that town has been astounding!

I've met MANY South Africans that are racist to the bone, even the black ones.

Fair enough .... There are other hotels in town, it is not by force.... They have the bloody right to be selective and discriminate if Nigerians continue to constitute a nuisance and prove difficult!

Well to me our bad leader is to blame. If Nigeria is okay what will Nigerian doing in every part of the world with our evil plot just to make money. Well, FG Discovers Another N3.2tr Abacha Loot. Where is Obasanjo, Atiku and Tinubu that has sold the whole Lagos Property. R.I.P Sanni Abacha.

Oga op I have 3words for you......"You blame them"?

U'll neva see posts by pple like Godogwu and Byllionaire on this thread.
Hypocrites!

Worthless article. If you travel abroad to sell drugs, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do fraud, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do prostitution, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel abroad and keep your environment there dirty, it is Nigerian govt's fault. Tell me something. Does there come a time when these "perfect, innocent Nigerian citizens" actually take responsibility for their own actions?

tonididdy: complete this sentence:





IF TO SAY....

you no waste your time comment

Hmmm...so as an honest-to-God Nigerian person you will not be served at the hotel? Well, I'll take my hardword-gotten gains elsewhere.

One can infer you live in SA from the article. The general tone presupposes every Nigerian lives like that including you. The fact that some are like that doesn't mean we are all like that. I know Some Nigerians have been misbehaving over there. Let me tell youone thing such nefarious. Acts can only thrive when you have some form of South African consent and back up. Why don't you such things about Nigerians living in Switzerland. Every country should take responsibility for the nonsense they condone or accept. It's just like the case of the influx of Nigeriens, Chadians etc into Nigeria. The majority of the blame lies with us forgot putting laws to deter people from becoming nuisances in your country.

Nigerians you are a scorge to the earth.

That is why the other day i was hiding my green port at work so nobody will see the shameful country i come from during our worker's verification program.

Tufiakwa.

Rossikk: Worthless article. If you travel abroad to sell drugs, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do fraud, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do prostitution, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel abroad and keep your environment there dirty, it is Nigerian govt's fault. Tell me something. Does there come a time when these "perfect, innocent Nigerian citizens" actually take responsibility for their own actions?

spot on, afterall you go collect your pay every month. nonsense

Rossikk: Worthless article. If you travel abroad to sell drugs, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do fraud, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do prostitution, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel abroad and keep your environment there dirty, it is Nigerian govt's fault. Tell me something. Does there come a time when these "perfect, innocent Nigerian citizens" actually take responsibility for their own actions?

nig2change: .

My questions to fellow naija folks is that why do prefer to suffer abroad than to hustle in Nigeria. Many African countries are envious of our black gift from God. Imagine selling your house to buy visa, travel tickets to abroad to start afresh in the name of various national challenges which great countries have ed through in their nation building.

Sometimes it seems, you don’t need too many reasons to hate Nigeria and I feel so hateful towards my country right now. http://m.news24.com/nigeria/MyNews24/Nigeria-will-never-pull-through-like-this-20130327

Its not dr fault I don't even know what to say.. What is mtn and dstv doing in naija when we can't invest in SA......naija govt dhe dull me walai

ok ok now here are the problems we have to grapple with, but is there no solution in view. Can we the citizen leave the government out this and find a solution within ourselves.
What is this all about, Nigerians don't like themselves, they hated outside their shores yet we still say we are giant and that's why they hate us. Pls has this got something to do with our attitude? Lets check within

Let's not forget that there are also many nigerian professionals doing well in south africa. South africa is a very violent society. Jo'boug is particularly notorious for crime. I know that even the police in SA cannot be trusted. A friend, visiting the country for the first time for a conference, was robbed in the toilet by a policeman right there at oliver Tambo airport. True, there are lots of nigerians (most of them from SE) in Jo'bourg who are plain criminals but we should also not forget that these nigerians are just a fraction of the the criminals there - south african citizens constitute the bulk of the criminals.I am not condoning crime by nigerians, pls. My advice is that if u dont have any serious biz to do in South africa dont venture there because criminal syndicates(including police)target nigerians arriving in the country (sometime ago a man arriving from nigeria was followed from the airport and robbed at the reception of his hotel in Jo'bourg). Personally, I prefer naija a million times to SA.

Rossikk: Worthless article. If you travel abroad to sell drugs, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do fraud, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel to do prostitution, it is Nigerian govt's fault. If you travel abroad and keep your environment there dirty, it is Nigerian govt's fault. Tell me something. Does there come a time when these "perfect, innocent Nigerian citizens" actually take responsibility for their own actions?

You're making a lot of sense

@ poster , watin u dey do for south africa? Bak to your question, rich or poor, there is bound to be migrants moving from one zone or country to another . So you have to accept that . Also, you should try to consider that to those who travelled to south africa must have tried the hustling back in nigeria but things did not favour them . Afterall,why people travel is for the fact that they might not have favour or success in their home country and decide to find another place for decent and better living . @ the hotel, there is something I have notice about nigerians abroad especially when they are in hotels where there are bars . They tend to be at the top of the tone thereby making people at the surroundings feel uncomfortable which they call the attention of waiters, manager or supervisors about the noise making of groups of people close to them . Which I can understand why the hotel must have placed the notice on not wanting to receive nigerian visitors in their hotel. My opinion and experience.

It is the 'get rich quick' syndrome & at any cost that pushes most Nigerians to indulge in all forms of illicit businesses. Patience is not a virtue on this side of the divide. Our so called leaders & politicians loot the treasury with reckless abandon. Pastors rip their congregation blind. And the sermon 9 times out of 10 is always about money.There's really no one to look up to or emulate. So everybody just carries on doing as they please. When the head is rotten there's really not much the rest of the body can do
True story...

Why wont they, when their ashawo's are paying much attention to Nigerians than their natives?
Or do you need an oracle to tell you that their men's manliness is the same size as a remote battery if not smaller