Derrick Nnadi has been in the news recently for two reasons- He was part of the Kansas City Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl. He also sponsored the adoption of 109 dogs to celebrate the win. Derrick Nnadi has always had one hero. His Nigerian-born father.
Continue reading “Derrick Nnadi taps into wisdom and drive of his true hero, his Nigerian-born father”
By Rebecca Gannon
Nigerian-American Derrick Nnadi set the internet on fire this week after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl for what he did off the field: he sponsored the adoptions of every dog who was at the KC Pet Project before the game.
Continue reading “‘I’ve always loved dogs’ says Chiefs’ Derrick Nnadi as he hands over check to sponsor 109 dog adoptions after Super Bowl win”
By Scottie Andrew and Francisco Guzman. CNN
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle, Nigerian-born Derrick Nnadi vowed to pay the adoption fees for more than 100 dogs if his team won the Super Bowl. The Chiefs won. And Nnadi made good on his promise.
Now, thanks to his generosity, every kennel at one of KC Pet Project’s animal shelters is empty.
Nigerian gospel singer Sinach performs at Lakewood church
Yomi Kazeem
Quartz
As part of new visa restrictions by the Trump administration, the US will no longer issue immigrant visas to Nigerian applicants.
While Nigeria is not the only country affected by the “ban” (Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar will also face similar restrictions while Tanzania and Sudan have been excluded from the United States’ popular visa lottery scheme), it is, by far, the most high profile country affected by what the Trump administration describes as a penalty for unsatisfactory security and information sharing standards.
By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani . The Washington Post
President Trump doesn’t want Africans flooding into his country. But let’s be honest. Who really does? Certainly not any other world leader of this era. Trump just happens to be the one bold or uncaring enough to say the quiet part out loud. He’s the rare white politician sparing us the trouble of deciphering what he might think. And Nigerians love him for it.
Continue reading “Trump trashes Nigeria and bans its immigrants. Nigerians love him for it.”
Nigerians have become central figures in the most heavily reported Canadian migration story in recent years, as the largest cohort streaming through Canada’s most controversial entry-point: the ditch at Roxham Road, in small-town Quebec, that became a magnet for asylum seekers.
More quietly, though, Nigerians are playing a significant role in this country’s overall immigration story: the numbers of people arriving through conventional channels—mainly as skilled workers—have spiked, nearly tripling since 2016.
Continue reading “Trump is turning Canada into a haven for the world’s best and brightest”
Nigerian-Born Nosa Ehimwenman is the founder of Bowa, a fast growing construction company that has been involved in a lot of projects in Chicago. His company was contracted to renovate a Starbucks concession in Chicago airport, the same airport where his father used to pick passengers from so his family could survive.
Continue reading “Meet Nosa Ehimwenman O’Hare’s 1st black concessions prime contractor”
African-American rapper, Lil Wayne, has said that he is 53 per cent Nigerian. He said this during his chat with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN as a guest on the “Drink Champ” show that airs Revolt TV.
According to him, an ancestry test conducted by a website he shared some of his details on proved that he’s more Nigerian than American.
Continue reading “I am more Nigerian than American – Lil Wayne”
By Ishaan Tharoor The Washington Post
It says a lot about this fraught moment in U.S. politics that President Trump’s move to slap immigration restrictions on almost a quarter of Africa’s population transpired with little more than a murmur in Washington. But amid the final throes of the Senate impeachment trial and the chaos of the Democratic caucuses in Iowa, the White House reinforced its virtual border wall Friday when it added six countries to the administration’s list of nations subject to either sweeping travel bans or strict immigration limits.
Continue reading “Trump scapegoats almost a quarter of Africa’s population”
By Jamelle Bouie. Opinion Columnist New York Times
Continue reading “The Racism at the Heart of Trump’s ‘Travel Ban’”
By Lara Jakes
WASHINGTON — Nigeria’s top diplomat said on Tuesday that he was “somewhat blindsided” by the Trump administration’s ban on Nigerian immigrants but that he had been assured by American officials that visa restrictions could soon be lifted.
Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria’s foreign minister, said that his government was already working to address security concerns that Trump administration officials said had prompted the decision, announced last week, to reject visas for Nigerians seeking to immigrate to the United States.
Continue reading “Nigeria ‘Blindsided’ by Trump Travel Ban, Its Top Diplomat Says”
By Justin Fox Bloomberg
(Bloomberg Opinion) — This column will not render a verdict on whether the White House decision last week to suspend immigration from Nigeria — the world’s seventh most-populous nation — and five other countries was mainly an expression of bigotry from an administration led by a man who once likened African nations to latrines, or if it was a legitimate reaction to security concerns. It will, however, tell you some things you might not know about Nigerian immigrants in the U.S.
Continue reading “U.S. Could Actually Use More Nigerian Immigrants”
President Trump announced an extension of the controversial “travel ban” to six additional countries, including Nigeria. It isn’t really a ban on travel but rather a tightening of admissions for immigrants. The stated rationale is national security. It’s a flimsy excuse and a dumb idea.
There’s scant evidence Nigeria poses a security risk to the U.S. “This is a big mistake. Why would Nigeria be on the list? It doesn’t have a history of terrorism against the U.S.
Continue reading “TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN ON NIGERIA IS A CHEAP AND CYNICAL PLOY THAT WILL HURT BOTH COUNTRIES”
President Donald Trump has added Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, to a list of countries whose residents face restrictions on travel into the United States. With the new policy set to take effect on Feb. 22, here are some fast facts about Nigeria and its immigrants in the U.S., based on previously published Pew Research Center studies.
Continue reading “Fast facts about Nigeria and its immigrants as U.S. travel ban expands”
By JOEY PETERS
Esther Agbaje had been hearing for months that the Trump administration might target Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, for new restrictions on legal immigration. But it was still a shock when official word came down on Friday.
Agbaje’s parents moved from Nigeria three decades ago. Some family members there still hope to move to Minnesota, Agbaje said, but if the new policy takes effect, it will likely complicate that.
Continue reading “MINNESOTANS RALLY AGAINST TRUMP’S NEW VISA CURBS”
by Darius Shahtahmasebi
The US is punishing Nigeria amid a current humanitarian crisis where the West African nation is grappling with a violent terrorist problem in the form of Boko Haram; a terrorist entity that the US indirectly helped rise to power.
Continue reading “Donald Trump targeting of Nigeria: Is it really about terrorist problem or is America fearful of Africa’s first superpower emerging?”
By Yomi Kazeem
The Trump administration’s controversial visa and travel bans has now been extended to include four more African countries.
The new restrictions will see the United States no longer issue immigrant visas that offer a path to permanent residency, and possibly citizenship, to nationals of Nigeria and Eritrea, US officials have confirmed.
Continue reading “Nigeria most hit by Trump’s new visa ban on four African countries”
by Sonia Chopra
Houston is often called the most diverse city in America, and the influence of immigrant communities has a huge impact on its food. In Houston, most of the West African population is Nigerian, but people, and ingredients, from Senegal, Liberia, Ghana, and other countries in the region also continue to make their mark on the local food scene. Popular dishes found in Houston range from suya and jollof rice to peanut soup and plenty of other stews.
Continue reading “Where to find pepper soup, suya, jollof rice, and more in Houston, Texas”
In less than a year, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy parlayed a quip at Coachella into a critically-acclaimed, record-breaking Grammy-nominated album, African Giant.
Burna Boy, née Damini Ogulu, has experienced an ascension that has been less meteoric and more piecemeal — marked by defining deterrents and gradual wins. His Best World Music Album Grammy nomination comes at no surprise to the fans and onlookers who have been following the 28-year-old afro-fusion artist’s rise over the better half of a decade. This development in the Afropop protagonist’s career represents the climax in a coming-of-age success story of one of Africa’s most successful artists of today.
Continue reading “Burna Boy’s Grammy Loss Shows The Issues With The World Music Category JANUARY 29, 2020”
By C.C. Campbell-Rock
Nigerians, Nigerian-Americans, and African Americans gathered on the steps of New Orleans’ City Hall to commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day and watch the Nigeria flag being hoisted and fly over the entrance of City Hall on October 4.
For more than 20 years, the Nigerian community in New Orleans has kept its African traditions alive, while forging alliances, in the tradition of an African village, among New Orleanians’ and others of African ancestry.
Continue reading “How New Orleans celebrated Nigeria’s Independence Day”
One joyful evening at the Barbican, London, in April 2014, identical Nigerian twins, then aged 65, appeared on stage in matching sparkly red dresses alongside musicians including Damon Albarn, Sinkane, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip and Beastie Boys collaborator Money Mark. They were there to sing the music of William Onyeabor, an elusive synth-pop oddball whose music had been rediscovered by David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label and was being toured by this unlikely supergroup. But the twins were also making their return to the spotlight following their own lost years, having languished in obscurity for decades.
Continue reading “The Lijadu Sisters: the Nigerian twins who fought the elite with funk”
Most Nigerians are over-achievers in foreign lands and that should be highlighted much more than the bad apples that are spoiling the bunch. It is dangerous and anemic to the progress of all hardworking Nigerians by painting everyone with the same brush.
By Uju Obii-Obioha
Nigerians are a strong people with so much vibrancy and excitement about life. We are very driven, passionate, resilient and pretty much have a desire to achieve and enjoy life. As a result of the myriad of challenges we have had as a nation, the country’s economy has not been vibrant enough to sustain its nearly 200 million citizens and as a people that are driven we naturally migrate to other countries in search of greener pastures. After all, one of the primary reasons for immigration for people all over the world is the search for better economic opportunities.
By Afua Hirsch
The penny about the US’s worldview dropped for me when I recently interviewed a highly educated, accomplished, politically and racially literate American. I mentioned something about the British empire and he looked at me blankly. “What is that exactly?” he asked.#OscarsSoWhite: a 10-point plan for change by the hashtag’s creator
Excluding Lionheart for using English shows Africans are still expected to satisfy American ideas of authenticity.
Continue reading “An Oscars ban for a Nigerian film shows the Academy still doesn’t get it on race”
Nigeria’s first-ever submission in the Best International Feature Film category, is largely in English, which makes it ineligible to compete
By Steve Pond
The Academy has disqualified Nigeria’s “Lionheart” from the Oscar race in the Best International Feature Film category, dropping the number of films competing for the award to 92 from what had been a record 93 entries.
Continue reading “Academy Disqualifies Nigeria’s Oscar Entry ‘Lionheart’”
Adebayo O Ogunlesi, born December 20, 1953, is a Nigerian lawyer and investment banker. Ogunlesi is currently Chairman and Managing Partner at the private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Ogunlesi was the former head of Global Investment Banking at Credit Suisse First Boston before being promoted to Chief Client Officer and Executive Vice Chairman. Ogunlesi is from Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State in Nigeria.
Continue reading “ADEBAYO OGUNLESI: The Nigerian-American Lawyer And Global Investment Banker”
Dewé lives a double life with his interests of music and engineering
by Greg Livadas
Adesola Adedewe may be thousands of miles from his native Nigeria while attending Rochester Institute of Technology, but that doesn’t stop him from being recognized by other international students who watched him as a contestant on The Voice: Nigeria, which aired throughout the African continent in 2016.
Continue reading “Student who starred on Nigerian TV follows his passions at RIT”
“There’s a white man at the door.”
In the new CBS comedy Bob Hearts Abishola, those words cause a flurry of concern for an immigrant Nigerian family living in Detroit.
“Tell me, when has that ever been good?” demands Auntie Olu, played by Shola Adewusi.
The white man she’s referring to is Bob — a stocky, 50-year-old guy played by Mike & Molly actor Billy Gardell. He’s come to Olu’s house in search of her niece Abishola, portrayed by Nigerian actress Folake Olowofoyeku. At first, Olu and her husband assume something has gone terribly wrong. But their worries are soothed when they realize Bob is interested in asking Abishola out.
Continue reading “CBS’s ‘Bob Hearts Abishola’ Rings True To These Nigerian Viewers”
BY JOSEPH MAYALL
Kamaru Usman inside the UFC Octagon
No stranger to variety, the podcast of UFC commentator Joe Rogan, The Joe Rogan Experience, has been the launchpad for countless remarkable stories that span a gamut of topics from bowhunting, to artificial intelligence, to zany conspiracy theories, and everything in between.
One of the podcast’s more fascinating discussions was provided by UFC welterweight champion Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman: during his appearance on the show, Usman made it known that his father, Muhammed Usman, was serving a 15-year sentence in a federal penitentiary for crimes Kamaru believes his father didn’t commit.
Continue reading “The Nigerian-American Nightmare: The remarkable story of Kamaru Usman’s father”By Victoria Ojeme
The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, has said that over 1,000 E-Passports produced within this period are under its possession, noting that the owners should come and claim them.
A statement by the Consul General, Benaoyagha Okoyen said backlogs of Passport and Visa applications are constantly being cleared in line with government operational guidelines.
Continue reading “New York Consulate begs Nigerians to claim over 1,000 uncollected E-Passports”
