The time has really come for Nigerians and the Nigerian government to rethink the United Kingdom. I have been going in and out of the UK since I was born , and I started my education there in 1965, continuing until 1975 and then 1981 to 1983 . My father went to Cambridge during the war years, so my family has a long history with the UK. My father was a Queen’s Counsel and also a Senior Crown Counsel to the late Queen during colonial rule, and the first Solicitor General of Nigeria. But one thing I remember about Chief Godfrey Kio Amachree is that he was very patriotic—he never lost sight of his roots and loyalty to Nigeria.

I asked him once, “Why didn’t you get a knighthood?” His response was, “How could I accept a British title when I had African titles, and they were the oppressors to my people?” Here is a man who was part and parcel of British colonial rule, who sent his fellow Nigerians to jail on behalf of the Queen, telling me, his eldest son, that his job did not blind him from who he was in life. Such was his reputation during British rule that the British used to call him anti-white. I repeat, the white men ruling Nigeria considered Godfrey Amachree a white man hater. Why? Because he did not tolerate any nonsense from them and was known to deal with racist British officials with brute force. I think you understand the meaning of brute force when it comes to a black man not allowing a white person to walk all over him.

So when the present UK establishment is attacking Nigerians and Nigeria openly on a daily basis over a simple case of African hospitality, anyone with any common sense, any pride, or self-dignity should be asking themselves why we are still in a relationship with these people who hate us, have always hated us, and will continue to hate us long after this latest episode dies down? I hope and pray that Nigeria’s love for all things British will not blind the leadership to stay mute while Nigeria is described as a Nazi state and one of the most violent ones at that.

As soon as Nigerians make money, it’s off to the British embassy to get a visa from some condescending British civil servant who asks the most demeaning questions while Nigerians grovel and do anything they can to get a stamp of approval in their passports. After they get this visa, they break open a bottle of champagne and call their friends to say they are off to London as if they have won the lottery. They then go and change Nigerian naira to pounds at an exorbitant rate, buy an expensive ticket, and head off to Heathrow where an Asian immigration officer looks them up and down like they were beggars, asks more demeaning questions before stamping the passport. But wait, it doesn’t end there—a customs official is waiting for Nigerians, especially anyone flying in from Nigeria because Nigeria is classified as a high-risk smugglers of drugs nation. If they make it to their hotel, it’s another bottle of champagne to help with the stress and the next day it’s off to the bank to deposit all their money so they can buy a house in London , and send their children to school in a country that cannot stand their guts.

I ask you, fellow Nigerians, is all this headache, stress, humiliation, and abuse worth it in this day and age? Should we not be concentrating on building up our own country and spending our holidays in Nigeria, as well as educating our children at home? Am I wrong in my line of thought? If any other country other than Nigeria was called a Nazi state, there would be protests in the streets of that country. But not Nigeria—they are too busy plotting how to get that British visa, and this is why the white man looks down at us. Wake up and smell the roses, or stay sleeping and look like idiots that do not like or respect themselves.

Nigeria #UKRelations #ColonialHistory #Patriotism #NationalPride #SelfRespect #RethinkUK #BuildNigeria #NigeriansAbroad