Americanah: Chapter 28 Summary & Analysis

One day Obinze comes to work and can tell that something is different. Everyone acts awkwardly towards him, and he is sure that they have found out he is an illegal immigrant. He is about to run away when Nigel appears with a birthday cake for him, and they all have a celebration. Obinze is intensely relieved, and he suddenly weeps with joy and feels safe. He hadn’t remembered his own fake birthday, but his coworkers had.

That evening Vincent calls Obinze and says that he wants a raise; he wants forty-five percent of Obinze’s earnings now. Obinze decides to ignore him, assuming that Vincent is just bluffing. But a week later Roy calls Obinze into his office and says that someone called him and told him he was using a fake identity. Roy tells him to just bring his passport tomorrow and “clear it up.” Obinze works the rest of the day, trying to control his rage at Vincent, but grateful to Roy for not turning him in. Obinze doesn't return to work after that day, but he wishes he had told Roy and Nigel his real name. Years later, when Obinze was rich and wanted a white “General Manager,” he had called Nigel, told him his real name, and offered him a job in Nigeria.