Nigeria’s “Andrews”, Still Fleeing After 40 Years
Because home is no longer home
East or West, North or South, home na better.
These were the concluding remarks of a well-known television infomercial broadcast from 1984 to 1985 in Nigeria.
As scripted, the determined, confident young man, Andrew, was marching forward with a bag slung over his shoulders. Steady in his strides, he advanced on with focus, firmly determined to board the waiting plane.
His goal, check out of Nigeria.
Farewell.
Evidently, Andrew had intended to sneak away. But as fate will have it, he met his friend. Taken aback by Andrew’s outlook as a traveler, the friend queried him.
“Where are you heading?”
“Me, I’m checking out …”
By “checking out”, Andrew meant he was fleeing Nigeria. Not yet done, he began listing the countless problems that plague the lives of Nigerians daily.
“No light (none or irregular public electricity)
“No good roads, …”
“Insecurity.”
“No jobs.!”
The drama concluded with Andrew’s friend persuading him to change his mind about emigrating.
The lingering message was not lost on Nigerians.
No matter where you travel, be it North, South, East, or West, there is no place like home.
Times have changed, years have passed, and many rivers have flown. Nigeria is even worse now than it was four decades ago.
Forty years later, Nigeria’s Andrews are still fleeing their shores in droves.
For many of my compatriots, home is no longer home, but a place to flee from. Escape from the burning house before the flaming roof collapses on you.
Don’t blame them. Even though they are not all guilty of the ills that have brought the nation to her knees, they are not all innocent either.
No thanks to the relentless succession of greedy and rampaging mis-rulers. They have turned our dear native land into a land of forlorn hopelessness.
The Children Are Fleeing Home
Boney M’s song, Belfast (1977), is a dirge to Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. The lines in the song highlight the cycle of belief and departure of the people, especially the youth from their country.
Every word of Boney M’s Belfast is true for today’s troubled Nigeria.
Here, the children have no leader to believe in. Each day, the cloud of despair, hopelessness, and distrust grows heavier. There has been no respite to the sense of loss, cynicism, and disillusionment that is the lot of our people.
Past, present, continuous.
“When the country rings the leaving bell, you’re lost”
Nigeria has rung the “leaving bell”, her children have heard and are fleeing in legions. You can replace every “Belfast” in the song with “Nigeria” it holds perfectly true for this country.
… Nigeria
Nigeria
When the country rings the leaving bell, you’re lost
Nigeria
Nigeria
When the hate you have
For one another’s pastYou can try (You can try)
You can try (You can try)
You can try
To tell the world the reason why
Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria….
As I write, Nigeria celebrates her 64th Independence Anniversary. But there is nothing to celebrate about. The government is all at arms, ready to stamp out any forms of protest that has become the lot of Nigerians in recent times.
The economic fortunes of our country and Nigerians have fallen into conditions that are even worse than what military rulers (militicians) unleashed on the nation during the heydays of Nigeria’s military misrulers till 1999.
Why are Nigerians fleeing overseas?
1. Weapons of Mass Starvation (WMS)
The purchasing power of the Naira has declined significantly in recent times. The pictures tell it all. Through the years, Nigeria’s misrulers have perfected their Weapons of Mass Starvation (WMS) — poverty, and ignorance.
2. Poor Prospects of things getting better soon
In the last two years, many companies have fled Nigeria because of the unfavorable economic climate. Not only is unemployment high, but those lucky enough to escape its noose earn monthly wages of less than N70,000 but spend in its US dollars equivalent.
Our national currency is the naira. However, every purchase and expense is evaluated based on the value of the naira compared to the US dollar. The basic monthly salary of less than N70,000 approximates $55 per month!
To give you an idea about the high cost of living in Nigeria, N70,000 can only buy you 14 authentic cook-at-home meal servings in a month.
If you stretch and manage it, it will give, maybe, 28 plates of meal servings.
Just to make it clear, N70,000 will only get you approximately 35 big loaves of bread each month.
The per liter cost of fuel is as unstable as the rough tide of the Atlantic ocean. At N1,250 per liter, a basic salary of N70,000 will only fill your fuel tank once per month.
Understood this way, an average family that used to subsist on N60,000 per month now needs at least N600,000 per month just to stay alive.
Unfortunately, a government worker’s basic salary starts at about N60,000 per month where he is supposed to receive at least N600,000 to survive.
This is the present continuous tragedy of life in Nigeria today.
3. An Atmosphere of Insecurity
Throughout all the corners of the country, insecurity is the order of the day.
Last August, marauding bandits demanded huge sums of money before they would release the body of a slain traditional ruler for burial. Another report attributes the mass departure of doctors and health workers from the country to the risks they encounter while performing their duties. For these and other economic reasons previously mentioned, numerous Nigerians are actively pursuing better opportunities abroad.
From braving the hostile Sahara desert and then risking turbulent waves of the Mediterranean Sea on rafts into Europe, or stowing away in the rudder of gargantuan container ships to escape into America, many Nigerians are still exploring unimaginable means to escape this famished land — or die trying.
What can foreigners do to help Nigerians fleeing their native land?
During a company-sponsored training in the USA years ago, my colleague received advice from his friend in the US to blend in with Americans instead of returning home to Nigeria after the training.
That is undocumented and illegal immigration!
Despite the exceptional conditions and opportunities in America, which starkly contrasted with the widespread economic difficulties and unpredictable job market back home, my friend declined to accept that Faustian deal.
If the basic challenges itemized above are reversed, many Nigerians will never contemplate emigrating to the West in as many numbers as we have today.
So, what can the West do?
THey can do these and more.
Western governments and their citizens should advocate for policies that encourage economic stability and growth in Nigeria.
Western governments and organizations should promote good government in Nigeria. So long as they keep helping to support and entrench bad rulers in Nigeria and other African countries, so much more will Nigerians be seeking relief in foreign lands.
Currently, numerous professionals and highly skilled workers are leaving their home countries in search of better opportunities overseas. By fostering conditions that encourage these individuals to return and remain in their home countries, Western nations can alleviate the demographic strain caused by Nigerians seeking economic refuge within their borders.
Before Heaven help those who can’t help themselves
Nigerians planning to move abroad can take steps before and after leaving their country to ensure a warm reception in their new destinations. Among other steps, they can do the following;
The adage holds true, that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Not even in Freetown. Every aspiring immigrant must learn and have viable skills before their departure to their adopted nations. This way, they won’t be additional encumbrances on the foreign countries they are emigrating into.
Abide by the laws of the land, learn, adopt, honor, and acclimate to their culture—naturally, without losing sight of your origins.
Openness and friendliness are key in dismantling the barriers that often emerge when people from different backgrounds interact. By making meaningful contributions to the welfare of the foreign lands that have welcomed them, individuals can improve the odds to their favor in those foreign countries.
Final Word
Many Nigerians are emigrating in large numbers, choosing to become immigrants in uncertain foreign lands due to the unbearable economic hardships and insecurity they face in their homeland.
Nigerians should learn and respect the culture of their host communities while also promoting the well-being of people in their new environments.
Additionally, Western governments should cease support for corrupt Nigerian and African rulers, as well as other circumstances that leave Africans feeling they have no alternative but to flee to the West.
Thanks for reading. Share your insights in the comments section.
This story was originally published on Medium.
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