Many Africans are not so money conscious, but Nigerians are an exception to this rule. Africans in general are very religious people, and as such, many believe that being “right with God”, helping poor family members and devoting oneself to things of God are worth more pursuing than riches. Africans see riches not as an end goal in itself, but rather as a byproduct of God’s blessings of ones deeds.
For this reason, many ordinary Africans do not seriously seek riches as happens in Western countries, but once again Nigerian are an exception to this laid back approach to life. Many Nigerians are so much money conscious that they will do anything to make it in life-either by fair or foul means. In their quest to make it, they mistake the laid back approach of other Africans as being lazy or not being as smart as they are.
Many times when other Africans are living with Nigerians overseas, we get angry about their behaviour, because citizens of many Western countries already have a stereotype of Africans as a bunch of people who are “scamy”, loud, and corrupt. Africans from other countries often try our best to follow the law and refrain from loud and criminal behaviour, so as to prove our hosts wrong, and disabuse their minds of the false notion that Africans are loud, corrupt and not law abiding.
Many Nigerians on ther hand do not care about protecting our image as Africans, they are often so bent on making money, to the extent that some of them engage in scamy and illegal behaviour eg Nigeria credit card fraud, “419 behaviours”, “Nigerian prince getting married to vulnerable women” etc. These crimes often ends up in the local news, and thus prove people who wrongly think Africans are corrupt right.
This is the reason why it appears many Africans hate Nigerians. In conclusion, other Africans do not hate Nigerians, rather we “love the sinners, and hate the sin”.
