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Still on London “Kpeke” Business and the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom

October 8, 2009

I read with profound shock and indeed one that hit down the innermost part of my bone marrow intoto. The rejoinder published by Dr. Abounu, a UK practicing medical professional, following the initial publication of Kayode Ogundamisi, the foremost vanguard of Nigeria Liberty Forum (NLF) in the UK.


Even more shocking and incredulously disappointing is the sort of quality of responses which followed the initial publication and the rejoinder.

As with the case of both, (Optimist and Pessimist), ‘two brilliant poets were imprisoned, one an optimist and the other a pessimist, they both squeezed their heads through the bars of their cell windows. The optimist then stared at the stars and laughed, while the pessimist looked at the dirt of a neighbouring road and wept’.

As for Kayode Ogundamisi, the pessimist, his article portends the abysmal disfunctionality of the Nigerian Diaspora community in the UK, despite a population of almost 1 million compared to the small population of Ghanaians and Somalia’s whose Diaspora community is far more functional than that of Nigerians. As for kayode, the majority of Nigerians engaged in the so called ‘Kpeke’ business are doing so as a result of their quest for survival abroad which has simply resulted from the  poor  and saddening mismanagement of the Nigerian economy over the years.

Kayode’s point also drove home the fact that, in comparison with other embassies and high commissions in the UK. The Nigerian high commission is not a friendly home of the oppressed or aggrieved Nigerian, while the high commission in fact does not perform other diplomatic functions as other functional high commissions do to protect its citizens.

Explicitly, the moral lessons in Kayode’s assertions were that, it is unfortunate how very educated Nigerians result to such jobs as ‘Kpeke’ when they don’t even get adequately paid or remunerated, despite the odd hours spent persevering and perceiving ‘the multidimensional aroma of various whites and blacks defecates’. As further drawn from his lessons, Kayode decried the often loud attitude of Nigerians to social functions even when they still manage to survive in other areas of their lives with their little menial and‘kpeke’ jobs.

As for the optimist, Dr Abounu, in his own rejoinder saw nothing wrong even if any Nigerian educated or uneducated would resort to such jobs as ‘Kpeke’ because it has its own dignity like every other profession, Dr Abounu further emphasised the points that the fact of Nigerians resolve to take to other menial jobs such as ‘Kpeke’ is not as a result of bad governance or mismanagement from Nigeria, but some other factors making every Nigerian wanting to be achievers in life.

For Dr Abounu, the Somali community in the UK which is just (100,000) as at 2008, has wielded no tremendous influence in the UK than their Nigerian counterparts, he therefore saw no reason why Kayode would compare the Somalis.

The moral lesson in Dr. Abounu’s rejoinder was that, Nigerians deserve to choose any work which they desire or wishes to do in the Diaspora if they find dignity in the job, he therefore saw no reason why Kayode would comment on what people choose to do.

For Kayode Ogundamisi, the pessimist, Nigeria can have one of the strongest Diaspora Community amongst all, owing to our population advantage and increasing business prowess especially in the London area, while Nigerians who willingly or forcefully have resorted to ‘kpeke’ job can climb up the ladder of employment in the UK from all opportunities abound, Kayode advised however, that they must live within their means. For the Nigerian high commission, Kayode’s points were a challenge for the present leadership to strengthen its poor diplomatic dealings with Nigerians, while his was a challenge for Nigerians to put on their thinking cap and swing into action by doing something worthwhile to form a political force or an economic force towards the advantage of Nigeria at home and Nigerians Abroad.


For Dr Abounu, It doesn’t matter if you do ‘Kpeke or not, whether you are paid by your employers of ‘Kpeke’ or not, Whether innocent Nigerian migrants who have earned Bsc degrees, Msc Degrees or PhD deserve no better job than ‘Kpeke’


From both piece I have learnt that it is a lot sensible sometime to be a pessimist rather than a scant optimist. All in the name of rebuttal?

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