Following some impolite remarks made by
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas about Nigerians,
members of the Christian Association of
Nigerian-Americans (CANAN) have responded
with a statement, demanding a formal
apology from the politician.
A Republican, Cruz compared the glitches plaguing
the website for President Barack Obama’s signature
health care law to the methodologies of “Nigerian
email scammers.”
Giving a speech before a large crowd of supporters
Monday, October 21, in Houston (the largest city in
the State of Texas) about the Affordable Care Act,
known also as Obamacare, the Senator said, ”You
may have noticed that all the Nigerian email
scammers have become a lot less active lately.
They all have been hired to run the Obamacare
website.”
Scroll down to watch the video (the infamous
remark comes at 08:36)
“Cruz has maligned all hardworking, decent and
outstanding Nigerian-Americans who add value and
bring goodwill to their different communities,
especially in Texas, with the largest concentration
of Nigerian-Americans in this country,” the
statement by the CANAN reads.
“Although his office did confirm this, explaining that
it was just a joke, CANAN finds it appalling and
reprehensible that the good name and reputation of
Nigerian-Americans is what the Senator can joke
with whimsically. This is completely unacceptable.
“CANAN does not intend at this point to delve into
the very nature of global and international
scammers, except to say this condemnable practice
is not limited to any one country based on available
information and research.
“We consider it an insult that a Senator who should
be representing the people of his state could turn
against some of his very own constituents in what is
clearly a reckless and offensive remark.
“There is only one decent option open to Senator
Cruz: an unconditional and full apology. While we
will be restrained at this point in order to allow for a
respectable response from him, CANAN appeals to
its teeming members drawn from over 1000 local
parishes in the United States, several professional
and ethnic groups, to await further developments.
“We want to assure our people, that we are not
taking this kind of unmitigated insults lying down
anymore.
“We are respectable, law abiding and outstanding
members of the American society. By an account of
the Houston Chronicle, our people are the best
educated of all groups in the land.
“That Houston Chronicle report of May 20, 2008 was
based on US government official census. The census
shows that while 8 percent of the white population
in the US had master’s degree and 1% held
doctorates, 17% of Nigerian- Americans holds a
Master’s degree and 4% doctorates.
“37% of Nigerians in America has first degree
compared to 19% of our white American brothers!
“Compared to the Asians, Nigerians are still tops in
this country as education goes. 12% Asians have
Master’s and 3% doctorates! Compare that to 17% of
Nigerian- Americans who hold a Master’s degree and
4% doctorates.
“There is every reason for us to challenge some of
this ignorant stereotypes and the time to start has
come! We shall no longer be the butt of these
jaundiced and ethnic-based pejoratives!
Signed by: Laolu Akande Executive Director, CANAN,
Dr. Christy Ogbeide, Houston Chapter Coordinator &
Pastor Banjo Olaniyan, Houston Chapter Secretary
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