Expediency Of Rallying Round Nigerians In Diaspora When In Distress -By Isaac Asabor

To most Nigerians that know who “Andrew” was in the early 80s, it is paradoxical that the man the government vehemently discouraged from travelling out or rather “checking out” of the country is the one that is today contributing to Nigeria’s GDP through Diaspora Remittance.

For instance, the World Bank in one its Reports stated that the Nigerian Diaspora population remitted $65.34bn in three years to boost economic activities in the country. It explained that the Nigerian Diaspora remittance was $24.31bn; in 2019, it dropped to $23.81bn; and in 2020, it fell to $17.21bn, and that Remittance inflow made up four per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in 2020.

In the same vein, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs statistically stated that Nigeria had a Diaspora population of 1.7 million as of 2020, thus putting the average remittance per Nigerian abroad (based on 2020 Diaspora population) at $38,428.15 across the three years.

To Nigerians that may not in this context understand who “Andrew” was, it is expedient to recall in this piece that shortly after the now President Muhammadu Buhari became the Head of State upon the ouster of the civilian government of President Shehu Shagari in 1983, that Buhari’s military regime initiated a passionate campaign on why Nigerians should remain at home to salvage the country.

For the sake of clarity, “Andrew” was the foremost contrivance for the campaign which was a TV commercial that had a national appeal. The commercial had the late actor, Enebeli Elebuwa, playing the role of “Andrew”, a man that was totally frustrated about the state of affairs in the country, and who in his frustration made up his mind to “Check out” from the country and publicized his willpower at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja. With his luggage packed, he bragged as follows: “Men! I’m checking out. I’m tired of no water, light, and no good roads. You can’t even find a bottle of soft drink.” “Andrew” would eventually repent of his cynicism and join the crowd of patriotic Nigerians.

Despite the discouragement from the government that on account of its corrupt tendencies denied him of good things of life, “Andrew” damned the consequence and checked out. In the TV commercial which enthralled the fancy households in the entire nation, he looked dapper, self-assured and fully determined to quit the country of his birth where nothing worked. To him, there was no adequate electricity supply, no functional telephone system as there was no GSM then, and the public water supply, the health system, and the roads were all in bad shapes.

In spite of the deleterious labels that “Andrew” was literarily plastered with, the fact remains that he travelled out of Nigeria’s shores and earned himself enviable recognition as a professional so much that the federal government today look up to him for his Diaspora remittance. Besides, any country he has being to; be it in America, Asia or Europe, he is wont to be recognized as one the most resourceful set of person among immigrant population.

However, beyond looking up to “Andrew” for Diaspora Remittance, government should on its part show concern for his rights and safety in his odyssey to countries across all parts of Europe, America, Asia and Africa. For the umpteenth time, International Relations experts had urged the Federal Government to urgently intensify efforts toward ensuring diplomatic protection of Nigerians in different parts of the world. This is as a result of the rising number of Nigerians in foreign prisons.

Experts have been unanimous with the view that not few Nigerians in Diaspora are languishing in foreign prisons, and agreed that such pitiable and beggarly development does not portend a good image for the country as it is an indication that Nigerians are economic immigrants to a large extent, and in that vein urging the government to emulate the United States Government which is known for offering adequate advice to its citizenry in various country, and ensuring that they are not maltreated by their host countries.

It is unarguably against the foregoing backdrop that the House of Representatives recently invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, to explain what the government is doing concerning the maltreatment of Nigerians abroad.

As gathered, the House Committee on Diaspora, headed by Ms. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe will subject the Minister to a question and answer session in the plenary.

According to the lawmaker, Mr Onyeama and his ministry are not doing enough to get Nigerians respected in their various places of abode abroad, especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

She clarifies that the Minister owes the nation an explanation on what is happening to citizens of the country in the Diaspora and that the platform would provide such opportunity to disclose moves that are been made to address the issue.

“The key issue right now is the UAE. We have invited the Minister of Foreign affairs to come and tell us what is happening to Nigerians in the Diaspora, especially in the UAE.

“When we get this update, we will know the way forward from there,” Ms Akande-Sadipe told reporters during the commissioning of a sports and educational facility in Awe town, Oyo State at the weekend.

The reps member, who represents Oluyole Federal Constituency at the National Assembly, promised Nigerians that the House will not sweep the matter under the carpet, but pursue it to a meaningful end.

“In spite of what is happening, I assure you that this matter will not end on the table of hearings alone. We will ensure something is done. You recall the matter of Temitope Ariwolo and other Nigerian girls, returned to the country. We played a huge part in that, success,” she said.

At this juncture, it is expedient to urge the government, particularly through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as one of its mandate is to attend to the needs of Nigerian citizens abroad in distress within the laws of the receiving state; mediates disputes between Nigerians and non-Nigerians within Nigeria and outside Nigeria; and assists Nigerians outside Nigeria to pursue their lawful and legitimate activities, as well as facilitates issuance of visas abroad. As it seems, more emphasis is been placed on Diaspora remittance rather than the wellbeing of Nigerians in Diaspora.

To my view, there is an urgent need for the government to adopt Citizen Diplomacy as it seeks to protect the lives, properties and welfare of the citizens both at home and in the Diaspora. But alas! Evidences abound of Nigerians being killed recklessly, their properties destroyed, their international human rights denied them, without much reaction by the Nigerian state even when her attention is being drawn, mostly due to the identity (either ethnic or religious and even family background) of those concern.

In fact, Nigerians in Diaspora need government support in times of distress; at least, if not for anything, let it be for them to have a sense of belonging. Without any iota of exaggeration, there are millions of people who migrate each year.

With the help of family and friends, they cross oceans, rivers, deserts and mountains. They risked their lives to realize a dream, which is to simply have a decent job somewhere that enables them to financially support their families back home, the same families who helped them before.