The Plight of Nigerians Abroad
By Toye Fakeye
The report that about 20,000 Nigerians are currently languishing in foreign jails worldwide is disturbing. The breakdown of this figure shows that Libya has the highest number with 1,500 Nigerians in its jails. It is followed by United Kingdom which has 1491. Others are India, 391; Nepal, 15; Japan, 14; Canada, 13; Togo, 15 and Niger, 40.
In Morocco over 5,000 Nigerians disppeared in 2006 and another 3,000 unaccounted for according to the Nigerian Embassy in Rabat. Perhaps the most disturbing is that 60 Nigerians are on the death row in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The reports have it that these Nigerians who are languishing in jails abroad or are on death row were involved in drug trafficking and other criminal activities. The report is coming at a time that the United States has resolved to start deporting illegal immigrants among whom are Nigerians.
These developments are certainly bad for a country that is trying very hard to repair its blighted image, which is largely attributable to nefarious activities of its citizens at home and abroad. Apparently disturbed by the unpleasant report, the federal government last week warned Nigerians who travel abroad without the necessary documents to desist from the practice no matter how bad the economic situation in the country is.
Beyond insisting that Nigerians who travel abroad should do so with valid travel documents, the federal government should also warn Nigerians who travel or live abroad to only engage in legitimate activities and jobs. Such warnings should be pasted at strategic places at all the ports in the country. The warnings should also be made part of re-orientation message that must be well publicized by the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication. The message must state very clearly the implications of travelling abroad without the requisite documents or living abroad without valid documents. We say this because we believe that it is mostly those Nigerians who travel or live abroad without valid papers that resort to illicit activities to make ends meet.
Beside these steps, the federal government should make effort to find out why able-bodied, vibrant, young Nigerians are leaving the country in droves. We believe that the number one reason is frustration, which results from the inability of a good number of these Nigerians to realize their full potential here. We are also aware that some Nigerians leave the country because of the false belief that the streets of foreign countries are paved with gold which would be theirs for the picking when they get there. In other words, the compelling reason for the exodus of many Nigerians is basically economic. This explains why many of them end up taking odd, nasty and nerve-racking jobs when they discover that the situation is not as accommodating and as blissful as they thought. Those who cannot cope and who are ruled by inordinate ambition to make money take to illicit activities, including prostitution and dealing in hard drugs.
To stem the tide of this embarrassing exodus, government must move swiftly to fix the economy, creating job opportunities for the country’s teeming youths. It is regrettable that many graduates are jaywalking and roaming the streets looking for jobs that do not exist. For these unemployed graduates, the only viable option to them is to travel out of the country to look for what to do. Worse still, the economy is not moving in the direction that gives these unemployed graduates hope of a better future.
We believe, therefore, that if government is able to instill hope in Nigerian youths, they will not succumb to the temptation of travelling abroad and eventually end up in jail for being compelled by circumstances to engage in illicit activities. Government also needs to reassure Nigerians that the country is working and the economy is heading for a rebound.