By Uba Abdullahi
It was highly so disheartening the way and manner Nigerians were treated and even sentences to extreme trauma and many lost their lives outside their fatherland in the name of migration to certain countries in the so called search for “a greener pastures”
This maltreatments is so alarming to the extent that many lost their lives on their way to other countries along the way especially those who take the routes of Sahara Desert or other outlets from African Countinent.
Reports indicates that most of these migrants do not get the official permissions from their home countries before embarking on this dreaded illegal journey to an unknown which signifies the fact even their countries do not have official data of their whereabouts and their locations.
In most situations, these migrants faces series of life challenges and always open for attacks from either individuals or environmental challenges especially those in the Great Sahara Desert or in the Sea and Oceans.
Usually, these migrants resolved to engages in this illegal travel due to so many factors mostly associated to flimsy excuses of fake job opportunities promised them outside their countries of origin, social and life rejections,lack of employment opportunity, war and conflicts, depressions,bad governance and many more.
Mostly able bodied young and energetic persons both male and female are the ones usually engages in such illegal migration to an unknown destinations with sole aim of finding better conditions of life.
We all know that these adolescent young persons are always the ready made for such hypocrisy by these irresponsible personalities who usually lured them into such type of trips and mostly without the knowledge and consent of their parents or guardians or the relevant Authorities.
Most of Africa Nations, Nigeria inclusive are seriously engaged in massive sensitizations of such illegal migration and even set up some Agencies to address this phenomenon like National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP)
This Agency had been working around the clock and in partnership with other sister Agencies both within the territorial boundary of the Nation and in collaboration with other International Organisations like IOM and many others to further discourage such illegal migrations trend and to help rescue the victims who are trapped in either the middle of Sahara Desert,Seas or Oceans across boundaries of Africa Continent especially around Mediterranean sea, India Ocean,Red Sea and many more routes.
But despite these hectic engagements and assignmenta of rescuing the victims of such illegal migration, more need to be done as one has to beam a search light of why the youth engages in such dreaded trips and engendering themselves most likely lost their lives without fulfilling their life ambition? Have you ever seen a video clips of such scenarios where Nigerians are sentences to different trauma who engages in to such illegal migration?
I bet you find one and watch, I’m sure you will shed tears
We all know Democracy is a system of government through representations of an elected member/s at all tiers of government and as well Democracy is a system of the government for the people and by the people
If that definition is actually true and practicable then why the suffering of the people ( Electorates) who actually laboured for the emergence of the government in to power and at the end they were sentences to different trauma and life challenging issues where their life is no longer secured in their own country and under the watch of the government that they voted in to power, what a mess?
It is almost order of the day in all African Countries that those in power considered the State treasures as their personal belongings and engages seriously in siphoning public funds to enriched themselves there by leaving the Public in abject poverty just like what is happening in Nigeria and many other African Nations.
This is the type of democracy that is being practiced in Africa and their leaders are always clamoring for better change, when such better change will come?
Imaging Africa Countries that are endlessly blessed with abundant human and Natural resources,yet cannot be harnassed and utilized optimally for the overall developments of Africans.
Hence one of the root cause of such Illegal migration by able bodied young men and women of African extraction to other developed Nations.
Now the question that beg answer from those who are saddle with responsibilities of steering the mantle of leadership through Democratically elected representatives, do your still think that you have other countries in the world apart from your countries of origin? do you still think that you’re voted through the power of ballot votes?
If you succeeded in setting your electorates into trauma and subsequent death then whom do you have to governed?
Now let take just one Factor and request all the right the thinking members of the society to uphold it, that is good governance
When this is assured,in no time the Nation would change and transform from grass to Grace where as the issue of migration would be a forgotten phenomenon.
It is evidently cleared that even the poorest man in Nigeria knows that Nigeria is such a rich country that can take care of it’s citizens needs squarely, but unfortunately lack of good governance led to all the atrocities and calamities that is befalling the nation
What a mess? All those who called themselves President Senators, Representatives and much more should understand that no one would come from somewhere to fix our Country is actually we Nigerians that can fix our Nation and revive it’s lost glory to the fullest
Now to talk the truth, is even a criminal offense in Nigeria to the extent that one can be level as enemy of progress and be translated to different perspectives that would suit the interest of those in power
But at the end of the tunnel, let’s agreed to tell ourselves the brutal truth, to discourage and wiped out the menace of illegal migrations, really we need a collaborative and concerted approach by all the Stakeholders in the State.
From the Government perspective, it most discharge it’s constitutional responsibilities and continuously empowered our teeming youth to discourage them from such illegal act of the so called illegal migration
From the level of the Parents they most played the role of face setters and mentorship so also Civil Organizations, Philanthropists, Corporate entities and many more all has a critical role to play in this respect.
To cap it up, Madam Government you’re really responsible for all the woes that befall our youth who resorted to illegal migration because of your non challant attitudes to the yearnings and aspirations of a common man in the nation who stand for you in the time of need and laboured for your emergence as Democratically elected administration.
Did you ever think of the fact that average Nigerian cannot acquire two square meals a day? What have you done to bring succour to who elected you to office?
A Stitch in time really saves Nine
Uba Abdullahi
Chairman
Journalists Against Human Trafficking, Nigeria.
