A United States-based group, Nigerian American Foundation, on Saturday, expressed concerns over possible racist attacks against Nigerians living in the US.
According to the group, there is an increase in attacks against Muslims, Blacks, Jews and Hispanics, since Donald Trump emerged as US’ president-elect.
“We are concerned that some White working class citizens have been made to believe that immigrants are taking their jobs and Nigerians happen to be the most educated immigrant community in the United States.
“We hope the President-elect will put out the fire he stoked with his incendiary rhetoric during the campaigns by now assuring all segments of the society that the United States’ values of inclusion, multiculturalism, liberty, justice and freedom for everyone have not become extinct with his impending ascension to the Presidency,” NAF President, Dr. Yinka Tella, told AIT News.
Tella stated that the concerns were legitimate, based on the way Trump conducted his electioneering by appealing to White Americans’ racist disposition.
According to him, Nigerians living in the US may face a more difficult future with Trump’s emergence as president.
“Nigerians in the United States have always had very limited economic opportunities due to in-built racism within the society. That is why most Nigerians, regardless of qualifications or background, can be found mostly working as cab drivers, nurses, teachers, medical doctors and pharmacists, which are areas where there is a shortage of manpower.
“The rule of the thumb is that we have to work twice as hard as our peers to be successful. This is not going to change with Mr. Trump as President except the forces of racism have been emboldened. Nigerian legal immigrants will likely find it even tougher to integrate into the society while fewer people will be able to overstay their visas with impunity,” the NAF president pointed out.
He, however, said he did not think there would be a mass exodus of Nigerians from the US.