The returnees from Libya

IN their quest for what has been vaguely described as the quest for better opportunities, a sizable part of the Nigerian population has been regularly persuaded to take the intrepid  path of desperation and sometimes death as they dare all the odds to get to Europe through the desert and the Mediterranean Sea. To be sure, this daunting exodus of people is not restricted to Nigeria as it is replicated in varying degrees all over the African continent. Matters have not been helped by the pervasive corruption and dictatorship on the continent which spur what has been cynically termed “the new slavery” in which these woebegone fellows offer themselves as cheap labour under the most inhuman conditions in Europe.

To worsen matters, human trafficking adds its own victims and women in the fray are absorbed into the world of commercial sex to satiate the lust of whoever is ready to pay for it in Europe. Without valid papers and largely without any skills, a large group of scared, vulnerable itinerant illegal immigrants plod the streets of their host countries, mostly absorbed invariably by the underworld. Of course, they gradually become a menace to their host countries in their bid to eke out a living, trying out all sorts of things to secure a place under the sun

For the most part, their quest  has culminated in anguish, sorrow and death. The recent batch of Nigerians rescued from the death and torture chambers in Libya recalled their harrowing experiences there,with some of the women alleging that the Libyan immigration officers had raped them during their travails and before rescue came. The rescue, by the way, came against the expectations of some cynics who had lost all hopes on Nigeria’s statehood and it was certainly heartening that Nigeria could live up to its billing as a state capable of saving its citizens from the clutches of travails, especially in the international arena.

Unfortunately, Libya, their popular route to Europe, is currently unstable. Since its long-term ruler, Moammer Ghaddaffi, was murdered in a national uprising, Libya has been in a state of war, and the hope of holding anybody accountable for the sad experiences of these Nigerian citizens remains forlorn. Without valid papers, these citizens risked the suspension of their fundamental human rights which they now claim have been abused.

The Federal Government deserves to be commended for raising help in times of need for these Nigerians whose actions have embarrassed the country. It was clearly gross on their part to have complained on national television about how they were cheated in their repatriation process. Instead of being contrite and remorseful, they complained that there was a difference between what was promised them and what they were paid eventually and that they should have been paid in foreign currency.

That incident has left even their sympathisers aghast. How could these shameless citizens complain about a repatriation allowance from a trip unknown and unapproved by their country? Ideally, they ought to have been sanctioned further for the opprobrium which they brought upon the country by their shameful desires and conduct. If they had been dumped in detention as they came into the country, the thought of being cheated on their repatriation allowances would have been the furthest from their criminally adventurous minds.

We believe that a permanent solution to the problem of hordes of illegal immigrants from Africa is for the respective authorities on the continent to create habitable spaces in their countries and make survival possible for their citizens.

It is ironic that despite its natural endowment, Africa still finds it almost impossible to support human existence as a result of poor and corrupt leadership and regimes that establish hostile policies. This is a challenge which we hope would be surmounted through the institutionalisation of policies which guarantee human survival and freedoms by the right administrations on the continent.