The war in Ukraine caught many countries cold despite the fact that it was in the making for months. Thus, when the first Russian trucks moved into Ukraine to begin the attack, many countries had yet to evacuate their citizens. The evacuations have since happened with Nigeria one of the countries to have now successfully evacuated many of its citizens from the country. Poland was one of the many countries through which Nigeria successfully evacuated many of its citizens, mostly students.
It is possible that some Nigerians have remained in Ukraine. Their fate is better imagined than experienced as this bloody war rages. As long as every arrangement was made in spite of the strained circumstances to remove Nigerians from the line of fire, any Nigerian who chose to stay back in the country and has thus stayed back would have their blood on their own hands should anything happen to them.
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But it is away from Ukraine, in Poland, that horror stories have recently swept Nigeria of how Nigerian evacuees from Ukraine via Poland who chose to remain in Poland rather than return to Nigeria have been treated a little better than animals, arbitrarily shunted into squalid detention camps.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa recently came out in strong condemnation of the detention of Nigerians in Poland even as she lamented that those Nigerians who have now become detainees in a country known for its strong anti-immigrant policies were advised against remaining there. While reiterating that the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine via Poland was handled by the Federal Government without extra expenditure to the evacuees, she urged the Polish government to deport the detainees back to Nigeria instead of keeping them in tortuous detention centres.
With the Federal Government having done its bit though belatedly to evacuate Nigerians from Ukraine when this senseless Russian-fueled conflict started, it is those who have now stayed back in Poland and have become detainees that must be blamed for their own follies.
It is true that life in Nigeria is simply exasperating. It is also true that the fact that a lot of things are broken here has made for a broken country. But in the face of so much uncertainty in many countries of the world, especially for those who enter illegally, is life under backbreaking conditions in the extremely hostile environments actually better than the slug it is here?
It is true that things are better in many other countries. But it is also true that the ‘greener pastures’ mentality has been exposed as one great exaggeration. There is no doubt that it is a severely weakened hand that Nigeria takes to the international community. With what face do you ask other countries to unconditionally respect the rights of your citizens when you do nothing to stop the gale sweeping them there in the first place?
Those thinking of travelling illegally to countries like Poland must change their plans immediately. Nigerians detained in Poland must also be immediately deported back to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, rebuilding efforts in Nigeria must continue ceaselessly because until conditions in the Giant of Africa improve, Nigerians will continue to flock to other countries where they will be targets for rampaging racism and deadly discrimination.
Kene Obiezu, can be reached through [email protected]
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