The Paris attacks were and still are an extremely deplorable occasion because of the emotional and physical trauma that resulted from it. The media spared no expense in broadcasting it by depicting the tragedies that surrounds Paris, to highlighting how people from all over the world came together to show support and their condolences to the victims in Paris. The coverage for the Nigerian attacks pales in comparison because it received little to no attention. Sure one or two articles were written by major news sources but it was not enough to spark an extreme uproar or cry of the public. A reason as to why Nigeria failed to earn recognition is because many people believe that African countries hold less value.

Nigeria is a third world country, meaning that their economy, living standards, technology, education, and other factors that make a nation thrive are not that great. There are an abundance of uneducated people who generalize the individuals in countries like Nigeria to be uncivilized, because they live different lives and believe in different things. In those people’s minds, terrorist attacks seem to be normal in those countries. They don’t know what life or the culture is really like in those places, so violence in third world countries is believed to be the norm. Paris is seen in a completely different light because people are familiarized with it. Paris is always seen in movies and television shows as being the city of love with beautiful people and scenery. Everybody wants to take a trip to Paris, Nigeria…not so much. This is where the bias media coverage comes into play, because Nigeria is not always seen in a positive light, so in turn it will not hold the same amount of shock value that deserves attention.

Another factor that explains why these recent attacks in Nigeria are not widely known is because of Islam phobia. Muslims are always depicted in a negative way by the media, and people are brainwashed to believe that all Muslims are terrorist. Most of the victims that were attacked by Boko Haram are Muslim. The media seems to have a hard time showing sympathy to victims who happen to be Muslim because racism is still present. If a westerner was harmed in the attacks, there would be a better chance of this story reaching more recognition. Instead this is viewed as another common terrorist attack that has happened overseas.

Westerners are not the only ones at fault here. The politicians in Nigeria have not fully addressed any of the attacks that Boko Haram has caused. The Nigerian president mentioned the Paris attacks and expressed his condolences to the victims, but he did not do the same for his own people. It can be seen that the Nigerian president is hesitant to talk about the attacks because it would show people that these horrific events transpired under his reign. The Nigerian government did not do enough to stop Boko Haram. Since the elections were coming up during this time, the president did not want to lose voters or support. The Nigerian president is letting the lives of the people go unnoticed for his own selfish political gain. How can a country seek help for their problems if its leaders barely acknowledge the problems to begin with?

Nigeria cannot fight the threat of terrorism on its own. If more people come together to raise awareness by posting the articles on their social media and sharing it with their friends, then more attention would slowly make its way onto other TVs or computer screens. It can even catch the attention of influential celebrities who usually have millions of followers on Facebook or twitter. People in Nigeria do not have access to the internet or social media platforms, so it is harder for them to voice their issues to different nations. This is an ethical issue beca