Who Still Cares To Respect Nigeria, As More Reasons Revealed

Who Still Cares To Respect Nigeria?

THE incident that happened over a month ago in Indonesia, where a viral video in which a Nigerian diplomat in Indonesia was being physically assaulted by Indonesian immigration officials, not only summarizes the narrative about Nigeria’s dwindling fortunes in the international diplomatic community; but represents also, the zenith of disrespect her citizens now suffer globally. In that video, three Indonesians were seen holding down the unnamed diplomat in a car- on the neck and legs, while another person was recording the incident. As his head was being violently held in the back seat of a moving vehicle and an Indonesian was yelling at him, the Nigerian was shouting repeatedly, “My neck, I can’t breathe”, a cry reminiscent of the George Floyd incident of 2020. The Nigerian authorities later reacted to the incident, summoning the Indonesian ambassador to Nigeria, recalling Nigeria’s ambassador to Indonesia and asking the Indonesian government to investigate and take appropriate measures against the immigration officials.The Indonesian Foreign Ministry later reacted, apologising and assuring Nigeria that the matter was being investigated and that it was an isolated incident that was in no way going to affect the two nations’ commitments to bilateral relations.

That is how effective swift diplomatic response can be. But this hadnot always been so, asthe Nigerian diaspora’s experience in the last ten years– or more- has been characterized by assaults and insults from other nations with the Nigerian authorities doing little or nothing about it. Sometime in 2020, a group of Ghanaians on the orders of an ordinary businessman invaded the Nigerian High Commission and demolished one of its buildings, claiming that the commission encroached on his land. The authorities in Accra did not step in until after a while, and made a pledge to rehabilitate the building. Before then, Ghanaian trade authorities slammed a $1m annual fee on Nigerian traders, an apparent punitive measure for the closure of the Nigerian borders, which was against Ghanaian economic interest. It was not until there were repeated outcries from the Nigerian community leaders in Ghana, by Nigerians on social media and the sensitization by the AbikeDabiri diaspora commission that the Nigerian government kicked. Hitherto, mum was the word from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Government. In 2014, a Nigerian student in the University of Cape Coast was murdered in cold blood by his Ghanaian counterparts in the University of Cape Coast. The murder of Godwin Ayogu was the fourth recorded in Ghana that same year. A year before then, a Nigerian male student, son of Aisha Faolde, a famous female sportscaster was thrown by fellow students from the balcony of a high-rise building and killed in Dubai. The Nigerian embassy in the United Arab Emirates did not even know a Nigerian had been killed let alone act. It took the outcry of the sportscaster on national television before anyone in government could action.

On many occasions, we have seen Nigerians subjected to different regimes of airport search or deported in horrifically inhuman conditions from different parts of the world, even from extremely poor countries. These countries Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Oman. Even fellow African countries such as Ghana, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles, Mauritius, South Africa and Kenya have done the same to Nigerians. Reasons for this humiliation include these Nigerians’ lack of proper documentation, illegal staying or outstaying of their visas, crime such as advance fee or internet fraud, drug smuggling, among others. In some cases, as some Nigerians who have recounted personal experience have said, reason for their deportation has been unclear or some distaste for Nigerians in general. The abysmal treatment over the years of Nigerians in the hands of their host communities and governments in other countries can be explained in two ways: first is the behaviour of Nigerians themselves, who tend to be either dominant in their host countries by their business or personal activities or take absolute control of the economy and communities. Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast, Benin and Gabon in Africa are few examples.

South Africans have described how Nigerian men try to overshadow them in the labour market and even in everyday social enterprise, thus taking over their jobs and women In some cases as reported in the media, Nigerians populate and sometimes run the local illicit drug market and crime circles on a global. Some of the arrests, trials and deportations in these countries are traceable to the crimes, which bring Nigeria’s image to disrepute and make her disrespected in international circles. So, while some folks are legitimately accosted for their untoward act, many others who are law-abiding are hounded and maltreated by hosts because of the stereotypes identifiable with Nigerians. But why are Nigerians moving abroad en masse and do not care to return home even after all these international embarrassment? In a study by my graduate student and me in 2019, it was the Nigerian economic, security and political situation is unstable, unprofitable and dangerous and as such constitutes a push factor for emigration. For the professionals, including teachers, medical practitioners, engineers and artisans, the climate is degrading and unfertile, hence the quest for greener pastures. For ordinary Nigerians, the security situation, including threats of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, and hunger as well as joblessness and increasing cost of living, the only haven for succour is overseas or other African countries. Thus, Nigerians will do just anything to sneak into and remain in those host countries, which does not always end up well.

The second explanation is Nigerian government’s insensitivity, muted or lame response to the assaults on the Nigerian diaspora. The assault on regular Nigerians is bad enough and should never be taken lightly by the authorities. With its image, economic importance and lead role in Africa, Nigeria has the enormous stature to not have any of her citizens harassed abroad.

But the Nigerian leaders seem not to understand this and act rather mediocrely on matters negatively affecting its diaspora. The repeated lame or lack of effective response accounts for the painful harassment of her citizens abroad. For ten years or more, one small or big country has taken advantage of Nigeria’s silence or lack of diplomatic tact in dealing with cases of international assault. The governments and citizens of these countries know this Nigerian trademark and exploit it adequately. In another scholarly paper,I once argued for the passionate implementation of citizen-driven diplomacy to put a stop to the plethora of foreign harassment. The Goodluck Jonathan administration’s attempt to push a citizen-driven foreign policy in 2011-2012 was bold in addressing the problem. It was a diplomacy of reciprocity (a tit-for-tat or in Nigeria’s parlance, do me, I do youkind of diplomacy) which would have made countries to treat Nigerians at home and abroad with respect and follow international law and protocols in dealing with even erring Nigerians, bearing in mind that Nigeria would return the gesture duly in any way possible. But what happened to the diplomacy? It was abandoned, even by the Jonathan administration itself.

The assault on the Nigerian diplomat in Indonesia was the height of the cumulative and age-long disrespect. Attacking a duly accredited diplomat is a breach of international protocol on international immunity and a slap on the sovereign existence of Nigeria. It should never have happened. But it did because the government has accepted the insults over the years. Government either lacks the will because of the quality of diplomats it has in the country’s embassies abroad, or it is simply ignorant of international law and diplomatic conventions. It could also be because of burden of multiple internal economic and security issues. But these are the reasons Nigerians are activating a Plan B (exit in eventualities) as prescribed by a church leader and moving out in droves in the first place.

What should the authorities be doing? Simply eschew nepotism and politics in the selection of ambassadors and diplomatic staff abroad. Get the best technocrats and diplomats on the foreign missions. Put knowledgeable, courageous and capable hands in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Speak and act the moment there is a breach affecting the Nigerian diaspora. It should not enter the next day. Exploit diplomatic options always, but put the economic and military cards on the table too, to show you mean what you say. Lastly, Nigeria needs to reactivate the citizen diplomacy or diplomacy of reciprocity, which puts nations in check when dealing the nationals, assets and governments of other nations.

CREDIT: Sheriff Folarin