11/04/2026
LOST IDENTITY PART 2.
My post on “Lost Identity” caused quite a stir.
In fact, it was my very first post to went viral in the UK. A lot of people from different cultural backgrounds commented, and most of them were critical.
One Scottish man Stebbi Richmond even accused me of trying to impose my identity and culture on others🤣🤣.
He suggested that if I wanted to preserve who I am, I should go back to my country.
To be honest, I don’t entirely blame him. I blame the failures of our politicians back in Nigeria. But I reminded him that thousands of Scottish people live and work across Africa. Many of them are in my region, involved in oil exploration, and no Nigerian is telling them to go back to Scotland.
The purpose of that post was to provoke thought and awaken the consciousness of my Igbo brothers and sisters.
I don’t mind anyone shortening their names or choosing English names over Igbo names, you can do whatever you want. However, it should be your personal choice, not something you do just to suit others or because people expect you to change it for them.
A lot of Africans do this without even realising it.
If you know me well, you’ll know I don’t like discussing race, and I strongly dislike when people play the race card unnecessarily.
I see it often at work - someone makes a mistake, gets corrected by a white person, and instead of accepting it, they bring race into it.
That said, I’ve personally experienced racism multiple times, and it has pushed me to speak up.
Back when I first arrived in the UK, I worked as a security officer. I remember a colleague calling me the N-word. At the time, I didn’t realise how offensive it was because back home we sometimes used similar slang casually among ourselves. So I didn’t react. I even responded to it, not knowing better.
Looking back now, I understand how wrong that was.
I also had an issue with a woman I once lived with. She told me she could hit me and the police would still arrest me because I was Black. She was so confident about it that I believed her, especially after some of my earlier experiences.
One incident that stands out happened when I moved to Tunbridge Wells in Kent. I was working as a security at a Subway store. The town is lively, especially on weekends, with lots of nightclubs, which often leads to disorder late at night. That’s why most shops kept security staff.
One night, about seven young boys came into the store and started causing trouble. We tried to calm the situation, but they were determined to cause chaos. I called the police several times using the shop radio system-no response.
Things escalated quickly, and they started throwing eggs and then physically attacking me.
Shuuu!!! You’re fighting someone who used to have an average of 4–5 fights every week back in 042.
Someone who spent four years in a military-style school at Special Science School, Ihe.
Someone who could stand for four hours on a chair, listening to lectures in a warehouse Unizik , sweating like a Christmas goat.
Omo, those boys really got it!!!
As someone who grew up on the streets, I know the rules of fighting a group:
Number one: Target the most aggressive person.
Number two: Don’t let them grab or pin you down.
Omo, it was like a UFC fight that night.
I targeted the most aggressive one and gave him a very hard punch to the face.
He didn’t join the fight again- he spent the rest of it on the floor.
I kept moving around, going after them one by one. By the end of it, about four of them left holding their faces.
I acted in self-defence and used minimal force. I was running around while they kept chasing me.
Throughout the incident, I kept calling the police. They only arrived after everything was over. The first thing one officer said to me was, “You threw some good punches- we were watching.”
I was shocked. They had been watching the whole thing on CCTV while I was being attacked and didn’t step in.
Then they told me I shouldn’t have hit the boys so hard. I asked them what they expected me to do- stand there and get beaten?
Because of the area, many of those boys came from wealthy families. Their parents tried to take legal action against me, but the case didn’t go anywhere. The police later told me it was unlikely I would be found guilty by the jury and even suggested I could press charges myself.
I agreed, and a court date was set, but eventually everything was dropped, I didn't know why.
What stayed with me was this: if the situation were reversed, would the police have watched a group of Black boys attack a white worker without intervening? I honestly doubt it.
Despite all this, it hasn’t changed my overall view of the UK as my home. I even find it strange when people complain about English flags being displayed everywhere.
Some people see it as racist, but I don’t.
Maybe that’s because I don’t fully understand their intentions.
I compare it to Nigerians flying their flags on the streets back home.
I don’t think it’s fair to go to another person’s country and try to dictate how they should live or attempt to change their way of life.
I’m one of those who believe the UK has been very lenient towards foreigners. Otherwise, how do you explain someone having a British passport but not being able to understand English?
I went to Dubai and was told that you cannot acquire their passport, even if you live there legally for 50 years.
However, I don’t believe that wanting people to call me by my name is in any way imposing my culture on others.
As Igbos, we are very family-oriented. No matter where we live or how long we stay there, our hearts remain at home.
That’s why we try to create a sense of home wherever we are.
That’s also why you see Eze Igbo in different states in Nigeria and in other countries.
People often misunderstand the intention behind it. Because “Eze” translates to “King” in English, some assume we are trying to claim ownership or establish our own kingdom 🤣.
This misunderstanding has led to incidents in places like Ghana and South Africa, where indigenous people have asked Igbos to leave, believing they are trying to establish their own authority.
Even some of our Yoruba brothers have had similar concerns.
I think we need to educate non-Igbos that there is no king outside Igbo land, and having the title “Eze” does not make someone a king in that sense.
I also believe Igbo leaders should consider addressing this, perhaps even renaming “Eze Igbo” to something less likely to be misunderstood.
At the end of the day, most Igbo people simply want to live peacefully, contribute to society, and coexist with others.
There’s an Igbo saying: you cannot enter someone’s house and try to drive them out. Respect goes both ways.
Remember I'm Chibuike
Nurse Eliza but not a quack Nurse
゚viralシ
