The Indians are miles ahead of us when it comes to community building here in the UK, and we need to be honest with ourselves about that.
If we had our house in order, supported one another, and understood the power of unity, the next Mayor of London could very well be a Nigerian. We have the numbers, the talent, the intelligence, and the potential. What we often lack is the collective mindset to turn that potential into real influence.
Too many of us are loud on social media but do very little to build one another up. We insult each other, pull each other down, compete unnecessarily, and celebrate one another’s failures instead of successes.
We are too concerned about who is doing care work, who has an office job, who earns more, and whose job is supposedly better than someone else’s. Why should that even matter? Every honest job deserves respect.
Look at the Indian community. You will find Indians working as Uber drivers, taxi drivers, shop owners, business owners, professionals, and in countless other fields. They understand that not everyone has to work in an office to be successful. They respect different paths, support their people, build businesses, create opportunities, and invest in their community.
There is dignity in every honest job. What matters is how we support one another, create opportunities, build wealth, and position ourselves for greater influence in society.
We cannot keep talking about empowerment while undermining our own people. We cannot demand representation when we are unwilling to organise, collaborate, and support one another.
Our problem is not a lack of talent; it is a lack of unity, collective vision, and genuine community spirit.
Imagine what we could achieve if we channelled the energy we spend fighting one another into building businesses, supporting Nigerian-owned enterprises, mentoring our young people, creating networks, and backing capable Nigerians for leadership positions.
We need to stop competing over who is doing better individually and start asking what we are building collectively.
When a community rises together, its influence grows. When it tears itself apart, everyone loses.
It is time we moved beyond social media noise and started building a community that can command respect and create opportunities.
Comparison between the Indian diaspora and Nigerians, and how they do when moving to Canada or the UK 👇🇨🇦🇬🇧