Anti-Naijaism as a synonym of anti-Semitism
His face was blanch, colourless and pallid – like that of a typical Catholic priest. But what his voice released hit me like a hard stone: “Theo,” Mayah began. “I am shocked at what these people are saying. These guys (names withheld) from Kenya and Uganda have just told me that they hate Nigerians. They […]
His face was blanch, colourless and pallid – like that of a typical Catholic priest. But what his voice released hit me like a hard stone: “Theo,” Mayah began. “I am shocked at what these people are saying. These guys (names withheld) from Kenya and Uganda have just told me that they hate Nigerians. They are saying it openly. I am worried at this kind of verbal attack on Nigerians.”
I said what Mayah recounted hit me like a hard stone. Why? I had become acquainted with the two nationals of Uganda and Kenya for over a year now. We had been initiated into the unpleasant but exciting realm of investigative reporting and had wedded on the altar of workshops where we drank from the wealth of knowledge and experience of those we considered as fore-runners in this field of journalism. Secondly, the internet had facilitated our regular meetings online to the extent that if any of the two demonstrated to me that he saw me as a stranger, I would be disappointed. But using the strong, emotive verb “hate” to express his negative attitude toward (all) Nigerians, including those they were supposed to be acquainted with, indicated that the tide of their sentiment against Nigerians had risen so high that it overwhelmed other considerations, including our affiliation.
My position on the anti-Nigerian sentiments by my two friends from East Africa would be disproportional if I pretend as if only these two persons ‘hated’ Nigerians. I met a Ghanaian lady who confessed that she hates Nigerians because they were too proud. I have met some Beninoise who said they disliked Nigerians because they never made efforts to learn French. According to them, Nigerians behave as if English is superior to other international languages. I have met Ivorians who complained that Nigerians were too smart for their liking. I have met Malawians who blamed Nigerians for illicit drug trade and human trafficking in their country. I have met Tanzanians who blamed Nigerian movies for the upsurge in ritual murders in their country. I have met persons from over a dozen other African countries who hate Nigerians for over a dozen reasons. As all this converged on my head, one phenomenon that raised its bill in my mental image was “anti-Semitism.”
What is anti-Semitism? An online website, Anti-Defamation League, defines anti-Semitism as “The belief or behaviour hostile toward Jews just because they are Jewish. It may take the form of religious teachings that proclaim the inferiority of Jews, for instance, or political efforts to isolate, oppress, or otherwise injure them. It may also include prejudiced or stereotyped views about Jews.” It is not everyone who would accept it that Jews are hated simply because they are Jews. The reference to anti-Semitism here is to highlight the symmetry between the experience of Jews and the hostility toward Nigerians by the rest of the world, which I have taken the liberty of neologism to term anti-Naijaism. If I removed the word Jews from where they appear in the above definition and replaced them with Nigerians, I would produce a perfect definition of what thousands of Nigerians who live abroad pass through on a daily basis. In many parts of the world, innocent Nigerians become instant suspects of “no crime.” For instance, the South African immigration has crafted a procedure of screening Nigerians who fly into the former apartheid enclave by Arik Air. For committing the offence of flying by Arik to Johannesburg, the “suspected Nigerians” have to face three hours of screening, while their saintly counterparts who did the right thing by flying South African Airways spend barely a quarter of an hour being screened by the South African immigration department.
As it were, hundreds of Nigerians in prisons abroad may be innocent of the crimes for which they were jailed. In Indonesia, for instance, where more than 20 Nigerians face the death sentence for alleged drug offences, the suspects do not have legal aid to defend themselves. It is not impossible that many of them were rounded up and sent into prison simply because they are Nigerians. As you read this piece, there are about 400 Nigerians in prisons in the United Kingdom. Over 200 of our nationals are in Turkish prisons. Over 700 of them are in Chinese prisons. More than 60 are on death rows across the world. Thanks to Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa’s House Committee on the Diaspora, 20 Nigerians have been spared execution in Libya. It is not clear how many Nigerians are in prisons in many other countries of the world.
‘It serves them right!’ I could hear officials in the foreign affairs ministry saying in reaction to the ‘fate of the trouble-makers who give us headache’ across the globe. But, how many crooked Indians are in Nigerian jails? How many Chadian and Nigerien armed robbers are in jail in Northern Nigeria? How many dubious Lebanese are in Kano prison? How many mischievous Chinese who bring in sub-standard products are in Lagos prison? How many European oil thieves are in prisons in the Niger Delta? How many German, British, American, French and Russian businessmen involved in contract scams are in Abuja prison? Is it true that other nationals are not involved in criminal activities in Nigeria? If the Nigeria police, immigration, customs and several other security agencies were not complacent and corrupt, thousands of foreigners from Asia, Africa, Europe, America… would be in Nigerian jails for committing diverse criminal acts.
No doubt, for every Nigerian labelled a criminal in any country, there are hundreds of others doing great things and contributing to the growth of their host countries. Nigerian doctors, engineers, computer experts, professors, managers, inventors and entrepreneurs are helping the growth of many countries across the world. The challenge before the Yar’adua government, therefore, is not to accept the unnecessary guilt for the ‘criminal tendencies’ of Nigerians abroad. There has to be a kind of legal aid for Nigerians facing criminal charges abroad to ensure that they are given a fair hearing before they are jailed. We may be surprised that their accusers may never be able to substantiate their cases against many Nigerians. It is not enough to discourage Nigerians from travelling abroad in today’s world that has become a global village. Government must provide incentives that can keep them engaged in Nigeria while those who travel to do business abroad must be genuine. Unless diplomatic, legal and political measures are taken to stem the rising tide of global hatred for Nigerians, in the next few years, it would become a thing of pride by host countries to waste the lives of Nigerians simply because they are identified by the green passport.