Stereotypes create a barrier that leads to prejudice which often leads to discrimination and racism.
Every country is currently battling with stereotypes and Nigeria is no exception. Stereotypes rob people of their individuality as it is an over-generalized belief about a particular category of people.
Stereotypes create a barrier that leads to prejudice which often leads to discrimination and racism.
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There are several stereotypes about Nigerians that are not true, they include:
1. Violent and Terrorists
Due to the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria, this particular stereotype has been used on Nigerians home and abroad, but this in no way represents how Nigeria is.
Not only has the insurgency been contained, the part of the country affected cannot be compared to the vastness and diversity of the country as a whole.
Nigerians are not violent or terrorists neither is the country plagued by poverty and war.
2. Scammers (Yahoo Boys)
Of course, there are scammers in Nigeria, same with China or the USA and London. This stereotype is not only false, it is also harmful because every country has its criminals, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t law abiding citizens. You have as much a chance of meeting a Nigerian scammer and an American scammer.
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3. Nigerians are loud
There’s a popular saying that Nigerians are loud people. Yes, we enjoy partying and the occasional noise of street DJ's but not all Nigerians are like that.
Just as there are extra loud people living in the country, there are also people who are quiet.
4. Speaks African
There is no such language as African! In South Africa, there is a language called Afrikaans, but it is only spoken by indigenes of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Nigeria alone has over 200 languages spoken by different ethnic groups.
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5. Uneducated
In Nigeria, there are other ways people get an education. Some do so through apprenticeship, where people are apprenticed to learn a trade with an artisan or business owner and by the end of the training the student expects to be set up in the same business.
Educated Nigerians go as far as adding Masters and oftentimes a Ph.D. to their educational achievements.