Oyibo (Nigeria) Obroni (Ghana)

June 5, 2022, Lagos, Nigeria

There I was in Lagos, Nigeria with my AAA friends just doing what I usually do on a Sunday afternoon when out of Accra, Ghana, and I learn a new word.  

AAA training trips to AWA countries take a great deal of time and planning to make them what they should be.  These AAAs are good latter-day saints committed to doing the Lord's work of protecting the local leaders from being involved in any defalcations or questionable financial transactions.  Temptations to use Church funds for personal use are everywhere and most leaders do what is right.  We want "all" of the leaders to do what is right.  We train the AAAs to effectively train stake and ward leaders and create PowerPoints and other materials for the AAAs to use in this effort.  A great deal of thought, prayer and effort goes into planning and carrying out the training sessions.

We have traveled to Nigeria, Cote d'Voire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and parts of Ghana, of course, for these trainings.  After each AAA training, Atobora Brown and Elaine and I along with the local A2AA visit as many stakes as we can to do a one-on-one visit to encourage compliance with financial policies and procedures and learn what challenges they are having and how we can help.  This has turned out to be one of my favorite things to do because we meet people "on the ground" as my AAAs call it, and get a real sense of the challenges they face and what great men they are.

On this particular Sunday in Lagos, I was out with the AAAs.  We had attended Church meetings and gotten some lunch at a restaurant. As I was getting into the back seat of a taxi, the restaurant guard, dressed in his fancy uniform which included a hat, looked at me with a hint of a smile and said, "Oyibo, this is Nigeria!"  I felt a bit intimidated being the only Caucasian for miles around, and smiled back and said "it's great to be here".  When we had all gotten in the taxi I asked my Nigerian friends what he said and what he meant.  "Oyibo" (the last "o" is pronounced like a "u") is a slang for "white man" and he was making the point that maybe I didn't belong there.  Well, I did belong there.  I am sorry I didn't take his picture.

My Nigerian friends, during all of our visits to that country, would never let Elaine and I go anywhere without them.  Probably a good idea.  Nigeria is not a good place for a Caucasian to be alone, and our AAAs respected and loved us enough to want to protect us.  

One more comment is appropriate here.  My Nigerian AAAs meeting with us in Lagos laughed about the signs greeting people coming into Lagos.  The signs read, "This is Lagos", instead of the usual, "Welcome to Lagos" one would expect, and is customary in other cities.  I guess Lagos is the toughest city in the tough country of Nigeria.  Oyibo, this is Nigeria, Ross.

Just so you know, in Ghana, a Caucasian is called "Obroni".  It means the same thing as Oyibo.

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