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Genesis, Exodus & Revelation: Nigerians are leaving Nigeria By Prince Charles Dickson Jos, Plateau Nigeria
The Genesis, the very beginning of the Nigerian story of the past 44 years is a sour tale. To imagine the decay is simply, an agony of its own. The last time I had reason to write on the issue of Nigerians traveling abroad, it was on my Andrew is checking out piece, which generated its own controversy and wahala.
Funnily this time I was Andrew (although not checking out). I had reason to be at one of the plenty embassies and high commissions in the Walter Carrington Street (Checking out street). And then I could not resist the temptation of this piece.
The Genesis: Some years back I recall with nostalgia how Americans, Britons and their likes campaigned vigorously for Nigerians to come spend time in their decayed societies and we said No! Especially in the light of the then military ruler Gowon’s statement that “the problem was not the money but how to spend it” and then with the speed of lightening, even countries that we had no ties with, sought to establish one, at least let’s enjoy while the offer lasts.
The Genesis, at that period, I now smile as a friend once narrated how he ran out of allowance in the United Kingdom and was in a Pub, and the bartender didn’t have any “beef” accepting a Nigerian stamp as a means of payment. (Almost Unbelievable) but true. The Genesis was not to far away. That as at 1985, one didn’t need a Visa to visit the UK and then how much was the now almighty Pounds or everlasting Dollar compared to the indivisible Naira. A point when Nigeria and her Government, corrupt they still were a t that would sneeze and these colonialists would tremble. No one ever thought that things would change too soon, so so fast. Then the dollars changed for some few coins and the return ticket to New York was barely Five Hundred.
Nigeria, my beautiful, do we not still love life like in the Genesis when Nigerians left Lagos for the UK just to buy a George Michael suit of a Thousand and two hundred pounds on Friday evening and still be back in time for Sunday service in church.
In the Genesis, Nigerians were not asked the color of their spouses’ pants in the name of interviews nor 70 years old men asked if they would come back. (I do not know how else to wish someone death if that is not one). The same United Kingdom where the crime rate is another thing entirely, where hooligans kill and maim like one takes breakfast.
The Genesis was sweet, oil money was fresh, and who didn’t want to spend it. The green passport was powerful; there was the middle class that could afford the little luxuries of life, with lots of European and Latin American destination gracing that now desecrated green book. In that Genesis, embassy staffs were idle, enjoying their allowances by visiting clubs to listen to high life and low life music by our singing, maestros who did not need to travel to perform but the “whites” came to watch.
Our ivory tower in the genesis was filled with foreign students who came to drink from the well of our studious professors like the Kongi (Professor Wole Soyinka) and the likes. Then whenever we went we wore our Agbada and Iro with Buba, Ankara and Akwa George with a whole lot of pride and did not bother speaking English with accent. We had very few Tokunbohs. We were original, we could afford to be. In countries where we stayed our hosts tried learning our language and culture not the other way round.
Let me humor us a bit before I continue, the toilet at this particular embassy (let me protect than) was in a terrible state with hot shit from Nigerians because of tension, anxiety, disgust and more. Tension and anxiety, they cannot afford to be denied on entry to the Queen’s land of God’s own Country. Anxiety and tension at the money already expended in the process and what more, the kind of questions these “things” asks Nigerians.
Disgust at the fact that their rest room would be dirty. Well much as I did love not to say this but it’s the truth that the rest room being used in the first place was the one originally meant for guards in the consul and not for visitors. A sign that after all we may not necessarily be going to a cleaner environment when we do get there.
EXODUS.
All of sudden like harmattan wind in the Sahara desert without warning, heavy downpour, and things just nose-dived. Nigerians were queuing irrespective of societal standing or position. I, humble I, a crown prince, having to stand in a queue to go and spend my own money. What shame, the big banner that greeted one at the beginning of the street is asking that we stop the exodus. I am involved in an NGO that is encouraging those in Diaspora to come home in a back to base programme.
However, the exodus continues. In their thousands Nigerians are relocating, in whatever name, school, better jobs in Britain and American toilets. In the exodus, a naira is a penny, and one pound is what an average Nigerian struggles to earn in a day, and so in our millions we all want to go earn the pounds anyway the hard way. In the exodus Nigerians have fallen in love with the school in UK, America and Jamaica thing even if the institution is only in a white man’s bedroom.
In our exodus an average of two thousand visit various embassies in the nation at every hour for reasons that ideally could be handled internally such as tourism, education, health, business and sports.
This, exodus has led to an age ban, what nonsense! It has led to Nigerians forging their own passports. Traveling through air, naturally! Through Ship, not bad! Trekking to Europe through Morocco and the likes and dying like cannibals in the desert. That is simply broad day light madness.
Since the age ban, by the British consul several Nigerians have celebrated 2, 3, 4 and 10 years birth days all in one year.
In our exodus, I am moving slowly but steadily, in the waiting room for the Visa. The room; the roof is leaking, water dropping and God knows the “things” do not give a hoot. Do we have an option…another matter for another day? In every five or so minutes the facial expression shows “granted or the not granted look.” There’s this particular woman who is raking, “I am only going for a wedding, what nonsense at 58 years are they mad asking me if I was going to come back?”
Let me pause again, more humour in this very serious matter, I can hear a woman’s heart beat, I am sure from fear, anxiety, tension, not after wasting all these man hours and off course the fees paid is not a joke. And with her some kids making noise, they don’t even care after all what in heaven is their business? If only they knew that some of them in few moments would have their future mortgaged for the Dollar, Euro or my dear Pounds.
The revelation, some say the end, for others the coming and for me the conclusion. For me, the conclusion that, we are being governed by Bushmen. The problem not that they are bushmen but “thieving bushmen”, instead of “hardworking bushmen”. They do not seem to care about the state at which this nation is decaying. Embassies are milking Nigerians charging thousands of Naira multiplied by the number of applicants equals to the very few granted these visas at the end of the day.
That is where even the embassies will choose to close shop at their own discretion without the simply courtesy of at least obeying common diplomatic rules. The American embassy told us that AL-QUEDA was berthing in Lagos in the name of OPC and then they shut their embassy and their fellow conspirators on the same street closed too. Thank God they did not send marines from the states. What shame! Nigerians will continue to suffer all these until our leaders sit up and do something. A bank in England put up a sign that implied it was not inclined to do business with Nigerians. The conclusion is that at the rate we are going, I say I am not an alarmist but we are definitely not sowing any much positive seed.
Our government has vehemently refused to build schools but 6 billion Naira is realized on a personal presidential library, all the thieves in power are building their private universities, Bells University---Obasanjo, ABTI---Atiku, Heritage--- IBB and so on.
For Health, they go abroad for headaches rather than take panadol or visit the dispensaries they call teaching hospitals. I am happy as most of these thieves are still dying anyway whether treated abroad or in the moon. When will this embarasment stop....May God Bless Us with the wisdom to help us.
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