UK-based Nigerian recounts barriers in white dominated community

Mr Dele Ogun

UK-based Nigerian recounts barriers in white dominated community

A UK-based Nigerian lawyer and author, Mr Dele Ogun, on Wednesday recounted some of the barriers ethnic minorities face growing up in a white dominated society.

Ogun made the remarks at a public presentation of his book entitled: ‘The Law, The Lawyers and The Lawless’ to mark the Black Heritage Week in London.

Barriers

The author listed some of the obstacles he faced while attending law school, and becoming a motivational speaker, as religion, culture and colour barriers.

Ogun, however, noted that as a seven-year-old boy, who moved with his family from Nigeria to Britain in 1969 to seek a better life, he was determined to overcome such barriers.

“The inspiration of my book comes from the cultural, religious and colour barriers we have in a community; The recent London riots reiterate the barriers in our community and I feel my book told a story of someone making the best of what they had when overcoming barriers’’, Ogun said.

Resilience

He recalled that as a lawyer, it was difficult to get a job in the profession. According to him “whatever door I knocked on, it was always closed. ’’

He urged youths to be focussed and resilient in their daily endeavours in order to surmount such challenges.

The week, which is used to remember events in the history of the African in the Diaspora, is celebrated annually in the US, Canada and the UK.

It started initially as the Negro History week in 1926 to educate American people about African Americans’ cultural backgrounds and outstanding achievements.

NAN/Shakira/Ekata