Consul-General of Nigeria at Atlanta, Mr Kayode Laro has said that Nigerians resident in the U.S. are hardworking and law-abiding.
Laro told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria that the Consulate was proud of the contributions of Nigerians to the U.S. and also to their homeland.
The Consulate was established in 1998 to strengthen the long existing relations between Nigeria and the U.S. with jurisdiction in the 17 South-eastern States of the U.S. and territory.
These are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
Laro said, “As a Consulate, we are extremely proud of our citizens here and that’s why we engage closely with them and we know what they do.
“Nigerians here in Georgia are definitely law-abiding, hardworking and they contribute to enhancing the image of Nigeria, their country, through their actions.
“Nigerians are really doing a lot here.
“We have Nigerians running NGOs and with the recognition within the State of Georgia and so on.
“They are highly united under different organisations and we have an umbrella body, which is called the ‘Organisation of Nigerians in Georgia’.
“This umbrella body accommodates all or a good number of the various Nigerian organisations and associations in the State of Georgia.
“I’ve been around all those states and I have to encourage them to do similar things.’’
He, however, said there could be isolated cases of deviants, like in any human group.
“Occasionally, there will be the case of someone get arrested for drunk driving or driving under the influence of one thing or the other.
“But one would not take it lightly because everybody has to keep within the law and by and large, the majority of Nigerians are really law abiding,’’ he said.
Posted by Juliet Ekwebelam (Punch)
