Whither Now, Nigerian Spectators?
In January 2020 President Donald Trump of the United States 🇺🇸 ordered the killing of the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, most of the Muslim countries took to the streets in protest. They marched in their streets burning American flags and shouting “Death to America.” It was a sickening display of Muslim solidarity but the protesters did not give a rat’s ass what the rest of us thought of them and their cause so they fervently and defiantly marched on to show the world what they thought about America, their leader and his policies.
The United States has been embroiled in massive nationwide vigorous protests since the emergence of video clips about two weeks ago showing the brutal and callous killing of a middle aged African American George Floyd.
That snuffing out of yet another black life in broad daylight was recorded by a young African American lady who was standing by the murder scene and put her phone camera to good use. The result was a vivid display of scorched earth human depravity and an extreme display of man’s inhumanity to man that will live in infamy. It is a sight that one wishes that one did not see to begin with because once seen, it cannot be unseen. Coming on the heels of the killing of a young lady who was murdered in her home in a police raid in Kentucky and another senseless killing of another young black man who was killed while jogging in Georgia in an apparent premeditated motive by white men, the gruesome death of George Floyd finally yanked off the last string holding America’s moral conscience that has been teetering at the edge of snapping each time an innocent black life is snuffed out without justification, especially by the lawful body the police, set up to protect human lives and property among other things.
The disgust and pain brought about by the untimely death of Mr. Floyd was not limited to blacks in America. One of the refreshing sights sights since the demonstrations started is to behold the mixed nature of the races of the protesters. They are mostly young, middle aged and older Americans of all races! In fact white peoples outnumber the blacks in many cases by far. These are Americans with conscience who have had enough of the ugly effects of racism and police brutality meted out on blacks by a vicious minority of police officers with intent to kill African Americans.
The demonstrations calling for justice and the stopping of senseless killing of black people in the US has spread to other countries around the world especially in European countries. The size of the crowds gathered in London England today was mind blowing. If one did not see the location of the marchers, one would have assumed that they were marching in Los Angeles or New York.
You saw a sea of heads moving in unison mostly white in some cross sections of the crowds crying out against the racism and injustice that is still prevalent in the 21st century United States of America 🇺🇸.
Which brings us back to Africa especially Nigeria, the most populous black nation on earth as some people who know will tell you, one of every four people on earth is a Nigerian. So you would expect that when the whole world is apparently unified in displaying their outrage against racism in America, Nigeria would be in the forefront of the March for justice and fairness for people who look like themselves in the USA. You would be wrong in that expectation because not only that Nigerians are sitting on their hands doing absolutely NOTHING, to support the cause, in fact a very vocal minority is on social media treating the whole thing with a cavalier or lukewarm attitude at best. Some have even questioned the authenticity of the George Floyd killing video. I have read comments by some who referred to racism as “so called racism.” Some of them have opined that the whole George Floyd storm was a brouhaha concocted by people who were united to oust the USA president from power.
In a horrifying write up that was circulated on Facebook, one Mr Ben Obiatuegwu, self described Veteran journalist wrote among some mind bugling and rivolting statements “People are beginning to raise suspicions over the real or remote motives and culprits in the dastardly murder of George Floyd.” He continued “Innocent George Floyd could have been sacrificed in an unrelenting high powered political conspiracy against president Trump.” In fact the whole thing reads like a fictional political piece that no sensible journalist worth anything would dare pass on as an authentic analysis of the racial tensions walloping America as we speak. To think that this man spoke for the many people who have been LIKING it on Facebook or are in agreement with him sends a raw chill down the spine of any well meaning person with good knowledge of America’s history of racism and injustice against the black race.
Nigerians, for real, what we African Americans are feeling in the United States of America 🇺🇸 is not a joke and should not be taken lightly by any of you for whatever reason. If you don’t have any good knowledge of the situation please do not insult the human race by using Facebook to espouse nonsense. And if any of you have nothing better to do, please DO NOT DO IT HERE ON THIS WORLDWIDE FORUM.
Ejike O Ejike (Nwa Naija & American pikin)
Opinion expressed Ejike O Ejike
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