BEIRUT: The roughly 20,000 Lebanese living in Nigeria are hunkering down and eyeing the exits as Africa’s most populous nation is becoming increasingly unstable and sliding to what some analysts say could be a massive civil war.

The radical Islamist group Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people in sectarian attacks across the country and is demanding a religious purge of the Muslim-dominated northern region. Nigeria’s government has yet to rein in the paroxysms of violence that threaten to plunge Africa’s largest oil producer into chaos.

For Mohammad Obeid, a Lebanese from Tripoli who lives in the central Nigerian city of Abuja, the situation is deeply worrisome. “Our main concern and fear these days is it doesn’t turn to civil war, as things are going out of control,” Obeid writes in an email.

“The riots, strikes, armed gangs, lack of security and most important the evolving sectarian hatred. For me I will be leaving this country if this violence turns to a civil war. In this situation we will be a number one target for kidnappers and armed thugs,” he adds.

With the country’s President Goodluck Jonathan acknowledging that Boko Haram has infiltrated the country’s security apparatus and increasing calls for reprisals for the killings, Nigeria’s outlook is decidedly grim.

When people fled Lebanon during the Civil War, thousands ended up in Nigeria. Since then the diaspora in Nigeria has prospered and grown in the country via influential business and communication networks with other Lebanese around the world.

That success has let Lebanese build roads and schools in Nigeria and send remittances back home. The director general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry says the total number of Lebanese in Nigeria is now roughly 20,000.

But now many of those families are beginning to have to confront the same question they had to answer in Lebanon over 40 years ago: What do we do if things get worse?

Half of the population in Africa’s largest oil producer is Muslim and live mostly in the north, while the country’s 40 percent Christian population live largely in the south. The latest bombings have often targeted the country’s Christians and have been almost entirely attributed to Boko Haram.

A number of experts are warning of a large-scale civil war in Nigeria based on that religious divide and a host of unresolved political and social problems. U.S. military experts at The Center for Strategy and Technology forecast that by 2030 Nigeria could have a major civil war comparable to Lebanon’s

At the moment Lebanese in Nigeria, particularly in the north, say the they are living in a state of anxiety and fear and have little support besides their own family networks. Many say the Lebanese Embassy is a non-entity that isn’t helping them confront the danger in the country.

“We are citizens without a government. No one tried to contact us or advise us about the situation or what we have to do if things take a turn for the worse,” says Obeid, who is working as an accountant in Nigeria for a Lebanese company. He adds that he follows messages from the U.S. Embassy on Twitter to find warnings and directions when something goes wrong.

For now the political situation in the country hasn’t completely deteriorated and some Lebanese are holding out hope that the situation improves.

Peter Adebayo, a professor at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria who studies the Lebanese diaspora, says the Lebanese community is deeply entrenched in Nigerian society and its leaders are looking for improvement, and not evacuation.

Adebayo is in the process of surveying the violence-affected areas in northern Nigeria to understand how Lebanese are responding. He writes by email that Lebanese community leaders in Nigeria are “completely dissatisfied” with the present situation and are fearful that the Boko Haram wants to “turn Nigeria into Pakistan.”

If things continue to worsen picking up and leaving is more difficult for some Lebanese than others.

David Ramone, who is Lebanese-Nigerian, says despite his concern over his safety leaving won’t be easy.

“Half of my family is Nigerian ,  I cant just leave like that,” the 23-year-old told The Daily Star over Twitter.

For now Ramone has to take his safety into his own hands – he is staying indoors and avoiding crowded areas when he can.“The government literally can’t do anything to predict the attacks by the Boko Haram ,  they strike at will and kill people,” he says.



Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jan-26/161106-lebanese-in-nigeria-live-under-specter-of-civil-war.ashx#ixzz1kYgF4DcO
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

mr. fros in bell, are holding brief for this labanese or whaat. its either we are in it together or they can pack and go back to beirut.

Our main concern and fear these days is it doesn’t turn to civil war, as things are going out of control,” Obeid writes in an email.

The Lebanese Community in Kano is probably one of the largest such concentrations of ex-patriate Lebanese anywhere outside of Lebanon itself.
As the article above mentions, the Nigerian-Lebanese are, as a group, exceedingly wealthy.   The Chagouri bothers, who abetted former Nigerian military tyrant Sanni Abacha to plunder national treasuries and launder the proceeds in the Middle East, also gained considerable notoriety for their role in the import of tainted gasoline that emitted highly poisonous vapors when combusted in vehicle engines, killing Nigerian motorists and mechanics by the score during that dark era of Nigeria's recent past.

An interesting characteristic about the Lebanese in Nigeria is that like the Indians, they look down on Nigerians, and regard them as pack animals, routinely paying corrupt policemen to assault and jail native Nigerians, usually to discourage competition in business, but just as often to settle personal scores in an extra-judicial manner.  Now that policemen are becoming an endangered species in Kano, it remains to be seen how the much-hated Lebanese fare in that increasingly chaotic city as events unfold in the coming weeks and months.    Suffice to say, most if not all Lebanese resident in Nigeria are well armed, and experienced in urban warfare of the sort that racked their home country, causing them to relocate to Nigeria, so any Kano street hoodlums thinking Lebanese might be easy prey will most likely wind up liquidated in short order.

Jakumo:

The Lebanese Community in Kano is probably one of the largest such concentrations of ex-patriate Lebanese anywhere outside of Lebanon itself.
As the article above mentions, the Nigerian-Lebanese are, as a group, exceedingly wealthy.   The Chagouri bothers, who abetted former Nigerian military tyrant Sanni Abacha to plunder national treasuries and launder the proceeds in the Middle East, also gained considerable notoriety for their role in the import of tainted gasoline that emitted highly poisonous vapors when combusted in vehicle engines, killing Nigerian motorists and mechanics by the score during that dark era of Nigeria's recent past.

An interesting characteristic about the Lebanese in Nigeria is that like the Indians, they look down on Nigerians, and regard them as pack animals, routinely paying corrupt policemen to assault and jail native Nigerians, usually to discourage competition in business, but just as often to settle personal scores in an extra-judicial manner.  Now that policemen are becoming an endangered species in Kano, it remains to be seen how the much-hated Lebanese fare in that increasingly chaotic city as events unfold in the coming weeks and months.    Suffice to say, most if not all Lebanese resident in Nigeria are well armed, and experienced in urban warfare of the sort that racked their home country, causing them to relocate to Nigeria, so any Kano street hoodlums thinking Lebanese might be easy prey will most likely wind up liquidated in short order.

Your telling me , I worked for one, I was lucky to be in a senior post, even illiterate Egyptians were brought over to man key positions that Nigerian graduates should have filled.

Most Nigerians were treated  like trash , no unions, no workers right, sacking was done on the spot, tax evasion etc.



I am sorry , this is generally how Arabs treat Africans, the Indians are far better and more generally educated.

Jakumo:

The Lebanese Community in Kano is probably one of the largest such concentrations of ex-patriate Lebanese anywhere outside of Lebanon itself.
As the article above mentions, the Nigerian-Lebanese are, as a group, exceedingly wealthy.   The Chagouri bothers, who abetted former Nigerian military tyrant Sanni Abacha to plunder national treasuries and launder the proceeds in the Middle East, also gained considerable notoriety for their role in the import of tainted gasoline that emitted highly poisonous vapors when combusted in vehicle engines, killing Nigerian motorists and mechanics by the score during that dark era of Nigeria's recent past.

An interesting characteristic about the Lebanese in Nigeria is that like the Indians, they look down on Nigerians, and regard them as pack animals, routinely paying corrupt policemen to assault and jail native Nigerians, usually to discourage competition in business, but just as often to settle personal scores in an extra-judicial manner.  Now that policemen are becoming an endangered species in Kano, it remains to be seen how the much-hated Lebanese fare in that increasingly chaotic city as events unfold in the coming weeks and months.    Suffice to say, most if not all Lebanese resident in Nigeria are well armed, and experienced in urban warfare of the sort that racked their home country, causing them to relocate to Nigeria, so any Kano street hoodlums thinking Lebanese might be easy prey will most likely wind up liquidated in short order.

GBAMMMMMM!!!!! Infact, +1000000000000000000000000000

Litmus:

Lebanese were in my backyard for years in warri. They lived in fear. No Lebanese could look down on me as a Nigerian. Nigerians are not Ghanians we're a proud people who value respect, let me tell you.  However If some poor Nigerian smiles and is hospitable to foreigners, as is our way, or fears for his job and some take advantage of this because they foreigners come from lands were people are exploitative of kindness then that is unfortunate for both parties. The Lebanese in Nigeria, in your part of the country, make a big mistake if they underestimate Nigerians.  

the Lebanese and Indians played significant roles in the horror that befell Sierra Leone and they should be kicked out of Nigeria or watched very carefully.

@bolded - really?

To Nigerians who want to save their life and risk nothing, please follow the Lebanese and move out. infact hold them for waist.

I was interested to know what some Nigerians think about the Lebanese living in Nigeria and I don't seem to understand why a lot of people here generalise. Lets get some facts straight. According to this article there are 20,000 Lebanese here and Nigeria has a population of over 150 million. Compare that with Nigerians working in Lebanon which by some estimate is around 20,000 and Lebanon has a population of over 4 Million only. Most Lebanese people living in Nigeria today have been born here or raised here and feel more at home here than in Lebanon. We respect our fellow Nigerians but to be fair there are some Lebanese and expats that treat Nigerians unfairly. However there are more Nigerians that treat Nigerians unfairly. I too would be frustrated if a foreigner comes to my country and reaps the wealth and then abuses it but those are a handful that are insignificant. There are wicked people all over this world, from every nation, Race, religion and so on. Do not generalise.
I do more as a person to support the Nigerian Economy that some wealthy Nigerians. I try to buy everything made in Nigeria to support local industry. I only employ Nigerians with salaries higher than the industry I am in. I befriend my staff and know every aspect of their lives. Please dont come and judge me or others like me. Its about time you take that negative mind set out of your heads and realise that you are not better than us and we are not better than you. Afterall we are all struggling in the current world economical crisis.

AliKano: I was interested to know what some Nigerians think about the Lebanese living in Nigeria and I don't seem to understand why a lot of people here generalise. Lets get some facts straight. According to this article there are 20,000 Lebanese here and Nigeria has a population of over 150 million. Compare that with Nigerians working in Lebanon which by some estimate is around 20,000 and Lebanon has a population of over 4 Million only. Most Lebanese people living in Nigeria today have been born here or raised here and feel more at home here than in Lebanon. We respect our fellow Nigerians but to be fair there are some Lebanese and expats that treat Nigerians unfairly. However there are more Nigerians that treat Nigerians unfairly. I too would be frustrated if a foreigner comes to my country and reaps the wealth and then abuses it but those are a handful that are insignificant. There are wicked people all over this world, from every nation, Race, religion and so on. Do not generalise.
I do more as a person to support the Nigerian Economy that some wealthy Nigerians. I try to buy everything made in Nigeria to support local industry. I only employ Nigerians with salaries higher than the industry I am in. I befriend my staff and know every aspect of their lives. Please dont come and judge me or others like me. Its about time you take that negative mind set out of your heads and realise that you are not better than us and we are not better than you. Afterall we are all struggling in the current world economical crisis.

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