The Nigerian parking lot extortionists in Italy

IT will certainly be interesting to imagine Nigeria as a colonial power. What kinds of values are likely to be transmitted to the colonies? The results may likely astound even seasoned anthropologists. In any case, two Nigerian migrants in Italy recently landed in trouble for allegedly extorting money from motorists at a park in Busto Arsizio city. They  mocked the person who was filming them, but are now in detention. Some months ago, some Italians took to Facebook, lamenting  that Nigerians and other Africans were finding it difficult to abide by the country’s rules. The outrage by the Italians came on the heels of the story of an African migrant assaulting a female official after she requested for his ticket at a metro station in Rome, the Italian capital.

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Apparently, the migrants had exported the obnoxious agbero (motor park tout) culture into Italy as a means of survival. The agbero culture thrives on unruly conduct and the incident in question surely aggravates Nigeria’s very poor international image. That Nigerians and other Africans are finding it difficult to adjust to the dictates of peaceable coexistence in Italy is saddening. Such impossible characters often break all the rules in a bid to exact some comfortable existence in a regulated system, thus plunging their countries of origin into disrepute. It is therefore crucial for Nigerians who insist on leaving the country to survive elsewhere to learn to accord respect and dignity to their passports by being law-abiding. This advocacy is supposed to be part of the duties of the country’s various missions abroad but it has unfortunately been neglected over time.

Aside from encouraging its citizens to comply with the rules in the countries they choose to visit or live in, the Nigerian government should aspire to international best practices in all ramifications. When the right values are properly internalised, Nigerians would not stick out like sore thumbs if and when they travel abroad. Sadly, the Nigerian authorities will probably overlook the incident in Italy even though it detracts from the country’s image. If the authorities were mindful of the country’s name, they would take appropriate action towards               bbbbbbbbb preventing a recurrence.

No doubt, the xenophobia being suffered by Nigerians and other Africans at the hands of South Africans and Angolans resulted in large part from the aberrant behaviours manifested by them. The transferred aggression by South Africans and Angolans to their other compatriots has been both unfair and unjustified, but it may not stop anytime soon. If misdemeanours had been sufficiently sanctioned at home, the possibility of exporting them to Italy would have been remote.

Modern societies usually do not condone infractions and the Nigerian society ought to learn from this. It should be possible to replicate desirable trends if bad trends can be easily copied. It is all about making enforceable laws and being punctilious about them. When examples are made of habitual transgressors irrespective of their status, it will send the appropriate signal down the line that business has ceased being as usual. It will hopefully also restore Nigeria’s dented image and prevent law-abiding citizens from suffering unnecessarily.