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Nigerians Abroad

04.02.2022 Featured Nigerians Abroad Give Reasons They Won’t Return Home Despite Discrimination

Published 4th Feb, 2022

By Tola Owoyele

Over the years, there have been several instances of hate, abuse, discrimination, racial profiling, indiscriminate arrest, and other forms of inhuman treatment against Nigerians living in foreign countries.

However, despite these incidents, Nigerians living abroad are not willing to return home. In a chat with FIJ on Friday, some give reasons they consider returning home a reversal of fortune.

‘I WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE

“It is true that Nigerians experience these forms of ill-treatment every time,” said a Germany-based fitness instructor, who simply identified as Bayo.

“There was a day I assisted a next-door neighbour, who came from eastern Europe, to pick-up her mails and handed it to her.

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“The next thing I saw was a phone call from the building manager, telling me that he had received a complaint from her that I was going through her mails. The manager further advised me that I should stay away from her, as she did not want to have anything to do with a Nigerian.

“Of course, I stayed away from her, but that wasn’t until I made it clear to the building manager that not all Nigerians are bad. The incident made me feel bad,” he said.

Generally speaking, we go through these things often times at gatherings, workplaces and even residences. Once they hear you are from Nigeria, they treat you with suspicion.

When Bayo was asked if such events sometimes make him feel like returning to Nigeria, he said he prefers being constantly subjected to such treatments and living comfortably than going back to hell.

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“God forbid! I will never experience a reversal of fortune by God’s grace! That is like leaving heaven for hell. Trust me, despite all these problems that we experience here, we still live a comfortable life. I have a respectable saving and I am also able to send money back to my parents and my siblings in Lagos.

“The chances of me being able to take care of myself, my family and still have savings would have been very slim if I was still in Nigeria. There is no hope for the youths of our country.”

WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER LIKE ANIMALS IN OUR COUNTRY!

Mojoyin, a Nigerian student living in Geneva, Switzerland, also shared her experience with FIJ.

“There was a day my phone rang while riding my bicycle to class. The Nigerian girl in me totally forgot that I was not supposed to entertain any calls until I had safely parked my bike, but I did,” she said.

“I had not finished receiving the call when a police officer, who was behind me in a Toyota Landcruiser, instructed me to park my bike by the sidewalk. Knowing I was in trouble, I had already feared the worst.

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“After letting me know that I was not only endangering myself but other motorists by receiving a call on the road, he took my information, told me to stay where I was and went to his car.

“He returned after a while and told me he would treat me as a first time offender and let me go. He, however, warned that a recurrence would attract a punishment. I was so relieved and grateful.

“This incident reminded me of an incident. After my dad made a wrong turning while driving in Lagos, we were accosted by LASTMA officials, delayed for several hours and eventually released when we paid an N80,000 bribe.

“There is nothing like a first time offender in our country. The moment you commit an offence, you automatically become a criminal. But, when you find yourself in a country where you are respected and treated like a human being, you will never want to leave. We treat ourselves like animals in our country. I am loving life here. Everything is easy.”

GOD WILL NEVER MAKE ME MISS HOME

A Nigerian residing in London, who simply identified as Emmanuel, told FIJ about an experience he once had.

“We used to have a French head waiter or what we call a maître d’hôtel at a restaurant, where I worked in 2018. As we were walking to the train station after work one day, he told me he was returning to Paris,” he said.

“When I asked to know the reason for his decision, he said he was homesick, and that London had nothing to offer him anymore. As he gave me the reasons, I silently said to myself, ‘God will never make me miss home. I have escaped already.

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“I always remember that encounter from time to time and wonder if we would ever get to a stage where Nigerians would choose to return to Nigeria once they find living abroad boring. That is not to say the United Kingdom does not have its challenges too, especially on issues of racism. But honestly, life here is good.”

According to a publication by Africa Check in 2021, more than 15 million Nigerians reside abroad. The report also revealed that Nigeria is the world’s fifth largest receiver of diaspora remittances. Majority of the remittances are monies sent to Nigerians from their loved ones living abroad.

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Published 4th Feb, 2022

By Tola Owoyele

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