THE rate at which Nigerians migrate abroad is at alarming rate and thus calls for attention because of its negative effects on the nation.
PEOPLE migrate from one country to another for many reasons but the most prominent reason in recent time is because of the economic situation of the country which is making things harder for the average Nigerians. Many Nigerian graduates are walking from offices to offices, seeking employments that are in most cases elusive.
SOME undergraduates, out of desperation take loans from banks at often shylock rates are driven out of production because of the poor electricity supply which affect the cost of production negatively.
SURVIVAL for budding entrepreneurs are made more difficult with the multiple tax yoke put on them by governments at various levels under various names and guises, all in their quest for internally generated revenue. Poor security situation of the country has made it difficult for some organizations to invest heavily on security of their outfit what ought to be part of their profit.
THE fact that many people are finding things difficult and they don’t want devil to keep them engaged in his workshop is one of the reasons why many opt to go for perceived greener pastures abroad. The fact that many companies are producing below capacity because of the often abrasive economic policies of our government makes employment difficult for the jobless to get employed.
THE unemployment situation is worsened by the favoritism and nepotism where what you get depends on who you know and no more on your ability to perform effectively when and if employed. Frustration then contributes immensely to people resorting to migration.
THIS desperation to go abroad had seen many Nigerians, armless, daring death in a duel of walking across the desert through Libya to the Spanish Island where they often fall through the bullets of the border police as they want to cross the Mediterranean into Europe.
MANY don’t usually go that far as they are raped, robbed and killed by their hosts in their transit camps. Still, many died through exhaustion, dehydration, hunger, and wild animals in the desert while trekking. Usually, these trips are made through illegal methods. Many had fallen inside traps laid by tricksters and opportunists professing to be traveling agents but in reality, thieves.
WHILE many Nigerians end the journey abroad and working as hoped before departing Nigeria, living decently and doing Nigeria proud with exploits, some end up doing highly degrading and unbefitting menial jobs over there but desperation and anticipated shame from people left at home will not allow them to come back home and start life afresh. Still, the fact that many must have invested all their resources into making the trip and not having anything as backup if they choose to return will not let them go back. The tight corner they have been boxed to will not let them go home but adjust to the tough service opportunity their hosts offer them.
THE cases of those with invalid or illegal documents are even worse as their employers can always threaten to report them if they dare complain to the appropriate authority. The need to survive in a strange land had landed many of the economic migrants into going into the ungodly clime of criminality. Many had been executed while some are serving varying jail terms in these foreign countries as their people back home are in endless waiting for them to come home richer and expected to add value to their lives.
OUR nation, Nigeria, in most cases, is the worst for this craze for migration, especially for those who made the journey through illegal means, got deported or enmeshed in criminal rings deliberately or indirectly. These people had been giving Nigerians very bad image. Many countries these days assume than an average Nigerian is a potential criminal and hence subjected into inhuman search because of what many other fellow Nigerians had done in the past.
THE activities of some of these illegal and economic migrants had made it difficult for many potential trade partners to be willing to have anything to do with us because they have seen us as dubious people not worth being trusted. A lot of human and monetary resources that could have been judiciously utilized for the development of those eager migrants do end up going down the drain, which ought not to be in the first place.
THE country loses a lot of money too in repatriating the numerous Nigerian deportees from time to time as could be seen in thousands ferried in from Libya some few months ago and hundreds just sent home from Ghana. Each time Nigerians are deported from foreign countries, a lot of damage is done to our image as other countries see us a set of loafers and never do well.
MUCH as The Hope appreciates the prompt actions usually taken in bringing home Nigerians set for deportation in various countries in recent times, it is believed that making the home environment more conducive to live and work will be a better approach than this fire brigade approach. Companies that had folded up should be assisted to come back to life through injection of capital or granting of either interest free loans or at most single digit interest terms.
THE electricity producing outfits, which had degenerated from being epileptic to near comatose level should be seriously looked into and brought back to life. Government should also look into traveling agencies and their claims with mouth watering baits of better lives for Nigerians abroad because many unsuspecting Nigerians had sold virtually all they have for the migration programme only to discover that not all that glitters is gold.
OUR embassies abroad should device means of monitoring Nigerians abroad from time to time to know how they are faring and if need be intervene in their favour if found to be inconvenient and not in accordance with international service standard. Nigerians should be more patriotic and optimism of better days ahead.
