UPDATED: Scroll to the bottom

I love the Moto G.

For price and quality, no Android phone comes close. It’s three times cheaper than one of those plastic SAMSUNG Galaxies and at least twice better (see, I’m always hyping it). I have proven my love for the Moto G with my pocket and the number of referrals I’ve made that turned to sales.

Months back, my Moto G broke not because it isn’t strong, (the Moto G is actually a direct descendant of the Nokia 3310 and can reliably be used to wedge your car when changing your car tyre) but because I was struggling with LASTMA who caught me recording him because he caught me using my phone while driving (you know as LASTMA people hand be na) because…

I digress.

This post is not because of my love for the Moto G but my sadness that the love is not reciprocal simply because I’m Nigerian.

The Sudden Realization

After my phone broke, I decided to step down to “use Infinix hold bodi” until the new Moto G comes out. Two days ago it did!

I rushed to the site, realized you could customise and engrave your name on it. Like everyone on Twitter (having a high dose of narcissism) I tried to engage my name abi, Twitter name @OoTheNigerian

“We’d rather you not say that” ?!! This had to be a bug! So I tried another

Cold this be a “third world” vs. “first world” issue? Go I came back to base and tried another

Kai! Even Lil Ghana. Chai!

So I went direct

Basically, the word Nigerian is seen as unfit for Moto Consumption. Try it here

I’m not angry or offended because it was not done deliberately. What most likely happened is the database/algorithm they are using to do the naming has blacklisted  “dirty words” The Moto G site just used what was there.

Anyway, we need this corrected.

Help us take the word “Nigerian” from that list by clicking this (It pre-fills a polite tweet to @motorola and their CEO @rosterloh)

Prejudice is when Algorithms don’t want nothing to do with you. We Nigerians experience prejudice everyday offline on the immigration lines and online when trying to transact on eBay, Use PayPal or even peruse OkCupid (Don’t judge me. I dey do research).

There was a period when mentioning Nigeria(n) in your email was bound to send it to spam. You know, “Pattern matching”

It is why I give special kudos to our folks who make it eventually especially in tech and outside these shores.

But, as they push us back, we march forward with all the pride and arrogance we can muster :D.

The above picture was taken the TechCrunch office in SF. It was on TechCrunch I started using “Nigerian” in my online alias when I kept encountering hostilities, I decided to take it to them ( the TC monkey now seems symbolic and my arrogant face, apt :D)

As for my “Yes, I Am Nigerian” tee, I made the first version when I traveled to “the west” for the first time. UK to be precise. I noticed how countenance changed once it was “found out” I was Nigerian. First experience was at the airport.

I decided to make a tee shirt to give an advanced warning :D.

I’m nice like that.

Thanks Banke for helping me proofread. 

UPDATE:

A Mike Jones reached out and informed me the word Nigerian is now accepted.  You can click this to give them a shout out.