With Access Bank’s acquisition of Kenya’s Transnational Bank, XN Iraki, a professor at the University of Nairobi has said Nigerians are not only coming but “have already arrived” to take over his country.
Iraki made the remark in an alarming article published in The Standard, one of Kenya’s largest newspapers, lamenting how Nigerian banks like UBA and GTB have gained “a foothold” in the country.
“The entry of Nigerian lenders into the Kenyan market was well planned. It started with softening Kenyan minds with Nigerian churches and movies,” Iraki wrote, hinting at Nigeria’s posturing to become “Africa’s superpower.”
“Once they set their minds on something, they normally get it. I met a Nigerian who was a member of parliament in South Africa. They can control industries, institutions, sectors and politics indirectly.”
The professor said Nigerians are highly educated and, in fact, one supervised his PhD dissertation in the US. He is planning a fact-finding visit to Nigeria after the pandemic.
“For Nigerians, marrying our girls seems to be part of their grand strategy to get into the Kenyan market; through genes across generations,” he claimed.
He said Access Bank is capitalized to the tune of $18 billion, with 36 million customers on three continents.
“How will local banks compete with such a big bank? Will it list on the Nairobi Securities Exchange to give Kenyans a chance for ownership?”
“What else will Nigerians go for after our banks? Are banks their Trojan horse into our economy?” Iraki asked rhetorically.
Conspiracies about Nigerian takeover is taking roots in many African countries, especially in South Africa and Kenya, triggering xenophobic attacks or yet unacted resentment on Nigerians.
