By Francesca Hangeior
An unidentified Nigerian man has expressed frustration and embarrassment after a bank in Poland refused to open an account for his child, citing a blanket policy against Nigerian customers.
In a now viral social media post on Wednesday, he said, “I am embarrassed, disgraced. I’m angry and upset. Nigerians, what have you done to them in Poland?”
The man said he attempted to open a bank account for his young child but was turned down by the Polish bank. “They said they don’t open accounts for Nigerians. I asked them why only Nigerians. They said, ‘anything Nigeria, no,’” he recounted.
His experience left him questioning his national identity. “I don’t know why God put me in that country, because I’m not part of all that scamming and nonsense, but now my child must suffer,” he lamented.
The man blamed past misdeeds by some Nigerians for tarnishing the reputation of an entire nation.
“Other people are suffering what some useless vagabonds have caused. What have you done to people in Poland that the banks here don’t want to open accounts for us?” he asked.
Directing his anger at unscrupulous compatriots, he fumed, “You’re mad, you these mad young lazy boys. You have left the shores of Nigeria and come and destroy Poland. Now the young generation coming to Poland will have to suffer.”
However, there are many cases of Nigerians arrested and convicted of banking scams overseas.
In October 2023, two Nigerian men were sentenced in a federal court in Boston for their roles in an expansive money laundering and bank fraud scheme that resulted in millions in losses from pandemic fraud, romance scams and other online scams.
In Nigeria, a foreigner can open a bank account, but upon fulfilling conditions to operate a bank account in Nigeria in accordance with the extant laws and the Central Bank of Nigeria‘s regulations.