White Woman Describes Preferential Treatment in Nigeria

From your experience, you've spent six years in Nigeria.

From your experience, what is the one lie Nigerians believe about white people like you?

They feel like white people are smarter than them. Huh.

They treat white people way better than their own people.

A scenario, this is what happened to me before.

Um, in my ex-relationship with my ex-boyfriend, right?

We were going to Kilimanjaro in Port Harcourt, going to eat.

And do you know the security guys standing by the eatery, opening the doors for you? Yes.

So the security guy was so excited that he saw a white lady.

He was, "Ah, madam, boss, you're welcome."

He opened the door for me. And because he was even looking at me walking into the, um, the restaurant- Restaurant ... and he forgot about my ex.

He just closed the door in front of him.

And I saw it because I was, I was still looking back, looking for my, for my guy, and I was like, "Ugh, where is, where is he?"

I realized he's still outside. He closed the door.

And, and he was just standing and looking like, "What did just happen?"

Me too, "What did just happen?" And this guy was so excited, "Oh, Igbo, Igbo, Igbo."

I'm like... I got, I got pissed off. I got angry.

That, that day has actually changed a lot in me.

I had to, I had to put some sense in his head at that point because I had to, like, educate him that this is wrong.

You don't do that. You literally praised me.

You don't even know me. What if this guy is the one saving my life at this point?

What if this guy is the rich one, actually?

What if he's the one that has money in his account and I'm the broke one?

He didn't know I was broke. I was hungry.

I was looking for ways to find money. And you're treating me better than this person just because of my color.

How does that make sense to you? In his own country.

In his own country, you'll be maltreating your own people.

Look at the biggest businesses in Nigeria.

The managers are always either Lebanese, either Indians, uh, Kenyans, Ghanaians.

You look at the chefs in the, you know, uh, elite families, you know, private chefs are usually from other African countries.

They're not Nigerians. When you ask yourself why, the, the same Nigerians who own the business, they keep saying, "I can't trust my people." Huh.

It's a big problem. It's a very big problem.