One would have thought that there would be mutual love and respect between Nigerians living in Benin Republic and indigenes of the neighbouring country, especially as they interact on a daily basis in their business and social lives.
This is not so, however, going by Saturday PUNCH’s investigation which revealed that there is a discreet hostility from the Béninoise to Nigerians living in their country.
Although Nigerians abound in the country -both as students or workers – there is usually an aggressive attitude once a Benin indigene realises that one is a Nigerian. The only people that seem to love Nigerians in the country are their females.
A Nigerian businessman, Promise Nwadigos of Digos Worldwide Limited, told Saturday PUNCH that he visits Benin Republic regularly because of the nature of his business. According to the civil engineer, the men of Benin do not like Nigerians because their women easily fall in love with Nigerians. He also added that an average Benin man was lazy and expected his wife to be the breadwinner of the family.
He said, “I come here every two weeks because of my car business and also, I import white cement from India and marbles too. It is cheaper to ‘clear’ the goods here than in Nigeria. Most young men that come here would want to live at ease.
“I’ll prefer to date a girl from Benin Republic than a Nigerian girl because they do not ask for money. In a scenario where you would give a Nigerian girl N5,000 her, a Benin girl would rather you feed her, accommodate here and give her N1,000. Benin people are not rich. Most of them are low-income earners; so whatever happens here is mostly done by Nigerians.”
Nwadigos added that Béninoise girls like Nigerian men because they (Nigerian men) work very hard and take care of the women.
He said, “They like Nigerian guys because we are hard working and decision makers. The women work the most here. Their men are the type of people that tie wrapper and wait for their women to bring food for them. An average Nigerian guy will work and want to impress his lady with his success. I know that some of the men here in Benin do not like Nigerians. For instance, if you take a cab and they find out you are a Nigerian, they are always aggressive, even with their bikes.
“Their girls like us, they don’t just like us because we are Nigerians, they like us because we are hard working, we know what we are doing and we are rich. They love us for our hard work. Most of their men here are taxi drivers and they do not go to school. Some are palm wine tappers, some sell bread. They live a useless life.”
However, an estate agent in the country, Cena Rodrick, told Saturday PUNCH that Nwadigos claims were not true. He stated that Béninoise men were hard working. He acknowledged that there was hostility towards Nigerians but said it was because some Béninoise have been swindled occasionally by Nigerians; especially the Igbos.
Rodrick said, “My clients are strictly Nigerians because I socialise mostly with Nigerians. I have worked with them well. The kind of house an indigene of Benin would be interested in would not pay me as much as a Nigerian’s apartment. The reason why Benin Republic people are hostile towards Nigerians is because although there are different tribes like Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo, Benin people see all Nigerians as Igbo. Some Igbo people have come here to dupe Benin people. They work here and do a lot of bad things. So that is why we are wary of Nigerians and the cause of the hostility. Personally, I do not have any problems with Nigerians. It is not true that Benin men are lazy. We take care of our women, not the other way round.”
A nationalised Béninoise, Daniel Laleye, said that he had heard about the hostility but had no personal experience and was indifferent about it.
A young man who refused to disclose his identity told Saturday PUNCH that the Beninoise also disliked Nigerians for economic reasons.
According to him, some complain that the influx of Nigerians into their country has made the price of basic goods go up.
He further stated that while seeking for jobs in the country, a firm would rather choose a Nigerian over a citizen of the country, even if the Béninoise had better qualifications. This, he said, was the reason they did not like Nigerians.
“They have this hatred for Nigerians. To start with, things are expensive here because of Nigerians. We are making things expensive for them. It might not be expensive to us because the exchange rate favours us but it pains them. Some Nigerians do not negotiate the price of goods and services here; they just pay. The reasoning of these Benin people is that all Nigerians have money to waste. So they have this natural hatred for Nigerians,” he said.
For Ibro, an Okada rider in Cotonou, there are several reasons why Nigerians are despised in the country.
Ibro said, “I am a native of Cotonou. I was born here, but I shuffle between here and Lagos. I came here to make money. I have lived in both communities. I even arrange girls for some Nigerians when they are around. I collect my cut when I do that. They pay good money for my services. However, it is true that there is hostility from Benin people. For example, some of the girls I have introduced to Nigerians on several occasions have complained to me that some of these Nigerians did not stick to their part of the deal.”
He complained about the way Nigerians treat his fellow citizens. He told Saturday PUNCH that the police too were not particularly fond of Nigerians because some Nigerians sometimes behaved like rascals, a behavior not permitted in the country.
Ibro said, “The truth is there are several tribes in Cotonou. Most of the people in Cotonou are Egun people. These Egun people are the ones that mostly travel to Nigeria and they are not happy the way Nigerians treat them. They are the ones that get menial jobs (like house helps) in Nigeria and they are not treated well. Also, the police might not be particularly fond of Nigerians because when they come here, they forget that they are not in their country where anything goes. Here, we believe in order; so, if you misbehave, the police here will whisk you away. It is always advisable not to resist arrest because the police here are very fit physically; they are also very good runners.”
A woman who identified herself as Iya Bola corroborated Ibro’s claims. She stated that because things were tough for her at a point, she allowed her daughter to go to Nigeria to get a job. When her daughter came back during Christmas season, she cried. Her14-year-old daughter came back with numerous scars and injuries.
Iya Bola said that when her daughter told her what she went through, she regretted her decision.
She said, “I for one cannot like a Nigerian because of what they have done to me. A friend of mine came to me and said she could get my daughter a job in Nigeria. Because of the way things were for me, I agreed. My child went for a year without me hearing a word from her. Occasionally, I go to meet my friend to ask about my daughter and she always assured me my daughter was fine. In December, when I finally saw my child, I could not help but cry because of the injuries on her body. She explained to me that it was the worst one year of her life as she used to be flogged everyday by her Madam. Is it people like that I will like?”
She said that no matter what her daughter must have done, she did not deserve to be treated like an animal. She said that such injury should be inflicted on thieves, not her innocent child and till date, she never allowed any of her children to come to Nigeria again.
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