Is Nigeria sealing her fate as a pariah state?

In December 2019, I wrote an article about Thomas Cook, arguably the first-ever travel agency and how that firm accidentally established tourism as we know it today. See https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2019/12/23/thomas-cook-collapse-lessons-for-nigeria-by-tope-fasua/. The company collapsed earlier that year, sending shockwaves across the world. The travellers’ cheques part of the business had since been sold to Travelex and that is still thriving as bureaux de change in many airports in the world even as global travel has taken a hit in the hands of COVID-19. Well, many critical thinkers believe there is an agenda or idea to totally curb travel as we know it – by de-democratising annual vacation travels as conceived by the Thomas Cooks of this world – such that only the super-rich will retain the privilege.

With local and international airlines groaning and many of them in the throes of death presently, one can only expect a shakeout that leaves only a few remaining, many routes shut and perhaps all travel will commence from business class. Some countries may even be shut out entirely if per capita and disposable income in them is deemed inadequate to service the required profit of the airline, many of whom are racking up losses presently.

Last week, news came out that some $601 million of airline funds were stuck in Africa as a result of these lockdowns and the inability to fully bounce back. Also, we can see that in Nigeria, some 30 minutes flights now cost as high as N80,000 for coaches (economy), even as in-flight entertainment has been fully cut out.  Times are sad.

In the referenced article, I wrote about how the UAE – especially Dubai – opened a new vista for travel and enlightenment for sub-Saharan Africans, after we had been totally traumatised, ‘defrauded’ and disrespected by westerners. The pain of multiple visa fees being lost to embassies and multiple honest applications being shockingly rejected, became a bit dulled when travel to the UAE became democratised for whoever wanted to go. Indeed, visas were very liberal in the beginning – I reckon they allowed even Nigerians to collect visas on arrival – but gradually things got worse for Nigerians as they normally do everywhere. In time, Nigerians were given one of the strictest visa regimes to the UAE and we were excluded entirely from certain types of long-stay visas. The next level perhaps, is for the UAE to start inviting Nigerians for physical interviews before visas are granted (like the USA, the UK and the rest do).

Of course, Europe and the USA remained suspicious and difficult for us to visit – even for those who could afford it and just needed the invaluable education that comes from travelling. Business travel remained dicey as well because our reputation for scams and all sorts preceded us.  Anyone who has attempted some level of international business will be able to confirm that they sometimes meet with stonewalls and there are many people around the world who will immediately put up a shutter once they know you are Nigerian. Many prefer to deal with Ghanaians and an increasing volume of our businesses – especially exports – are now routed through our West African neighbour because the world believes they adhere more to standards.

Let me itemise the issues. International travel remains very important and cathartic for the reasons identified by Thomas Cook in the 1800s – in the heady days of colonialism – for the following reasons:

1. Workers need a getaway at least once yearly or once in two years. This is good for psychological balance(I know that even peasants and artisans in developed countries regularly go on their vacation, so I now know that Nigerians do not travel enough, contrary to my earlier belief). Only the rich travel here, but more people down the food chain should travel. This means we have to have better leaders who can help manage our resources better and spread the wealth. Every adult needs the catharsis and exposure that travel brings.
2. Traveling is the best education. It teaches a lot more in ways you could never be taught in school. So it is the most efficient way of increasing literacy. What you see, you never forget. Traveling is important for Africans because the mental transitioning that we have to do from where we are to where we need to be, is more profound and bigger than for most peoples around the world. It is profoundly difficult if not impossible to imagine the current strides of civilisation or lives that are fundamentally different from what you are used to, if you don’t travel. Traveling enables us to see what the ideal situation should be. Some things we believe impossible will be shown not to be so, with travel.
3. Our children (poor or rich) – being citizens of the world – need the inspiration that traveling offers in order to create a better picture of their country on the canvass of time. It is for them to notice the architecture of other countries and try and replicate here. It is for them to notice working systems and orderliness and replicate at home. However, they need guidance from older folks. If we only focus them on how much money we can spend when we travel with them, or how to enjoy luxury, or worst still, we denigrate our country in front of them and praise others, the outcomes will be worse than what we have today.
4. Travelling allows Nigerians and sub-Saharan Africans to find opportunities to integrate with the global economy – for those who are entrepreneurial and understand that ultimately being a local champion leaves you in a vulnerable position. Whereas Nigerians are not welcome to open companies abroad, on a few occasions they may be able to collaborate with foreigners to establish companies. At other times, they can meet foreigners and become agents and distributors. What is not acceptable is not knowing what is happening in other parts of the world and not connecting at all with the development of humanity.

However, as far as Nigeria is concerned, the following are the problems that we give the world, which has turned us into undesirable elements, and if we are not careful, we are at the cusp of becoming a proper global pariah:

1. With the UAE presently, we are having a problem whereby many of our travelers go with fake negative COVID-19 results but when tested abroad, they turn out to be positive. This is just a subset of the problem by which many of our people carry fake documents around. We cannot forget all of a sudden, that the world is still in the middle of a health crisis. This is not the time for our administrators to feign fighting for some pride (we have none left) on behalf of the people. This is the time to talk to ourselves and organise to ensure that these usual forgeries and other such nonsense are not being exported by our people.

To be continued next week