The diaspora quagmire for Nigeria

By Idoko Ainoko

It is established that the population of a nation is its strength; the intellectual and positive productive gifts of its citizenry are its power and enviable assets. The overbeaten cliché in the inaugural address by a former American President. Mr. John F. Kennedy’s in 1961, pricked the consciousness of the people to national loyalty and patriotism soberly; “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

It is a timeless aphorism which pulsates with more relevance for Nigerian today, just like yesterday. It is not only the proclivity of Nigerians to sit back and ask what their country can do for them; but added to it is a flourishing proclivity in this negation, flavoured by the unresisted temptation of destroying the even the little the country has done for Nigerians. The trend is very visible among Nigerian reneges in the diaspora.

The diaspora Nigerians creates artificial tempestuous waves for their country and work industriously to drag others into the evil. They assemble in the temples of enemies and foes of Nigeria; freely partake in the plotting of evil against their own country. Nigerians in foreign lands with no shred of moral sanity provides the tonic and lead the pathway for external forces of destabilization and destruction to feast on the intended perdition against their country. It is done unashamedly insofar as gratification in dollars are placed on the table.

But when former President John F. Kennedy spoke to Americans in 1961, he was conscious of the unassailable reality that his country men and woman resides both within and outside the shores of America. His aphorism strongly charged them on national patriotism, and oneness of actions wherever they are domiciled in the world to make America a global force.

Unfortunately, the devil has ferociously snatched the spirit of patriotism and loyalty from most Nigerians in foreign nations. Of course, there are a few diaspora Nigerians who in their lifetime have brought cherish garlands to Nigeria in sports, academics, banking, medicine, ICT, engineering, architecture and in almost all genuine human fortes. But their numbers are very infinitesimal. The bad ones amongst them are in very awful multitudes.

No doubt, Nigeria is so blessed roundly. But through the sheer evil machinations of some compatriots in the diaspora, there are committed attempts to metamorphose Nigeria into the global headquarters of hell on earth. The rhetorical question quivering on the lips of many is that why is Nigeria so blessed, yet so cursed with such a large number of diaspora nationals?

Truly, some blessings turn out to be a curse. It is undebatable that any nation lucky enough to have a recognizable population of its citizens abroad especially in places like the USA, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Germany, Israel, South/North Korea and host of other developed countries should ordinarily be grateful to God for the blessings.

The excitement is because these individuals are able to replicate models of inventions, investments and other wonders of modern technology to their home country so as to also attract the rest of the world to their countries. It is fallacious and unpardonable for those who still think foreigners would abandon their own country to develop the countries of others. Every patriotic citizen hates to see other nations pairing up with the development manifestations of his country and so, he frustrates it in all possible ways. So, its one’s sacred obligation to develop his country.

A responsible and productive diaspora population should dedicate its energies to acquire the best and latest of knowledge of science and technology and import same into the home countries. They earn national revenues in hard currency for their countries from personal taxes and other lawful levies. They passionately defend their home countries against undue foreign interferences and infringements on the sovereignty of their nations of birth.

Quite lamentably, the experience of Nigeria with her diaspora citizens is slightly different. It bows to the absurd and generally adversative to what is obtainable in other countries.

And the Nigerian citizens in diaspora with crooked minds, lays the foundation back home even before escape to foreign lands. That’s why most of them find illegal means of migrating into foreign nations, instead of adhering to genuine and approved procedures.

Very constantly, embarrassing tales of deportation of illegal Nigerian migrants resonates in the files of Nigeria’s Embassies and High Commissions abroad or international news headlines, more than any other African country. The story is the same even with some of those who are legitimately granted access into such countries; because of demonstrated, certified unlawful and discredited conduct.

Nigerian diaspora lords most times are criminals who escaped the shores of their home country after participating in armed robberies, killings, cultism, terrorism and other high-profile crimes against humanity. And when the law haunts them, the easiest respite is to seek refuge by escaping to foreign countries.

While in these countries, they try relentless and tenaciously to hobnob and submit themselves to services of desperate forces whose only agenda is to undermine and destroy Nigeria. These external forces find such diaspora Nigerians as handy and weapons. So, these diaspora Nigerians become the canon folders and torchbearers in perpetrating the external agenda of destabilization and destruction of Nigeria.

And disgracefully too, Nigerians in the diaspora who fail to penetrate the network of the external subversive elements after the soul of their country, end up in these foreign lands as petty thieves, drug peddlers, rapists, social deviants, drug addicts, hired assassins, internet fraudsters and forerunners of other very confounding crimes. And once they are caught, it is either imprisonment or deportation back to Nigeria depending on the gravity of the crime committed. And once you check their records back home, it reveals the same history on their profile.

These are the games diaspora Nigerians play wherever they are domiciled. The lucky ones like leader of the outlawed terrorists gang which has veiled itself as IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu and many others hide under the diaspora umbrella because of their links and protection by the external lords against Nigeria to discharge their covenanted assignment of destabilizing the country. Expectedly, they have attracted nothing beneficial to Nigeria to justify their years of sojourn in foreign lands.

But quite irrationally, the likes of Kanu and co-travelers are obligated by their foreign sponsors never to shrink in this assignment. So, their fake and bogus allegations of human rights violations against the state. To relax in trumpeting it even for a day, leads to serious reprimands and threats by their foreign pay masters to withdraw funding and their residency protection abroad.

Aware of the repercussions of the such withdrawal, it frightens them endlessly. That’s why they exploit every opportunity to sponsor insurrections against the Nigeria state. And they take advantage of some lazy Nigerian youths by massively recruiting these charlatans, miscreants, hooligans, murderers and brigands to amplify the social unrests in the country to the unimaginable magnitude of compromising national security in order to please their foreign pay masters.

Those who believe their veiled antics against Nigeria or misconstrue their preachments on alleged human rights violations in the country as true; can also believe Lucifer came into the world to assist God Almighty accomplish His plan for the salvation of mankind, and not Jesus Christ.

Ainoko is a public affairs commentator and wrote this piece from Kaduna.