By Kayode Emola
One could look at Nigeria’s problem today and wonder why a country whose people’s talents are so abundant that their benefits are felt across the world; why should such a country be experiencing one of the greatest challenges in the world. It would be expected that these numerous talents, currently scattered abroad, could have been utilised in their home country of Nigeria for the benefit of their kinsmen and country, but alas this is not the case. The shame is that many more talented people living in Nigeria will die without realising their potential, not because of any fault of their own, but because of detrimental decisions made by external forces. By today, it has ceased to be news that Nigeria has overtaken India as the poverty capital of the world – this occurred in 2018 and ever since, a further 6 million people are added to the list of those in poverty every year. What is more shocking is that of those countries, like Britain, who have historically benefitted, and even still today continue to benefit from the rot pervading Nigeria, instead of these countries helping to address the problem, Britain is, in fact, demonstrating to the rest of the world that it is intrinsically involved in Nigeria’s problem.
I am not a person who dwells on people’s body language or the behaviour of government officials nor am I ever focused on “the mood or perception of the people”. However, my stay in Britain has made me realise that these things do matter, especially if it affects other people. When I first came into Britain nearly a decade ago, I and my fellow people with dark skin landed in a country that needed change. The mantra of the then Home Secretary (who later became Britain’s Prime Minister) was “Hostile Environment”. This hostile environment was not directed towards people with lighter skin, but solely to those with dark skin. Many of my friends who had previously been granted a two years post study visa found that the implementation of new legislation made it near impossible to meet the conditions required to remain, and so were forced to relocate to Canada, USA, Australia or Europe. Some others had no choice but to return back to Nigeria where, due to the failing system, their talents went to waste. Others still relocated to anywhere they can find comfort.
The hostile environment meant that a particular set of people were caught in the crossfire. These were the “Windrush generation”: legitimate Britons who could not prove their identity because their stay in Britain was undocumented. Even some who could provide the required evidence were still deported because Britain was fixated on getting migration numbers down. We can say the specific targeting of the Windrush generation had nothing to do with migration numbers, but rather everything to do with the colour of their skin. I believe non dark skin people were also deported but the proportion cannot be compared to the numbers of dark-skinned people who suffered from the hostile environment. Britain would do well to remember that when you put out a policy, it is not just about numbers, it is about people and these people too do matter.
Back to the mood or body language perspective and the unending hardship befalling the Nigerian people. The global ruling powers are aware of the systemic genocide happening in Nigeria under the current leadership of President Muhammed Buhari. Yet, it would appear that most of their citizens are naively unaware, a fact underscored by the lack of western media coverage of the situation. The fact that this is going on in plain view of the western world leaves one to wonder if the world has lost its sense of morality. Various groups and individuals have shouted from the rooftops and to the highest authorities of the world, but no one seems to be listening.
More concerning still is the reaction of players on the global stage to the recent events taking place in the last two months. First, the extradition of a British citizen, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from a third country (Kenya) – action which if it were undertaken by an individual would be classed as a terrorist act. Next, the invasion of the house of a Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday ‘Igboho’ Adeyemo, by the Department of State Service (DSS). In the course of this operation, two of his associates were killed and twelve other people illegally detained without charge, still remaining in custody to date. One would have expected a country such as Britain to sternly condemn these actions, but instead Britain shocked observers the world over by inviting the two principal African countries involved to Britain for a meeting in 10 Downing Street.
Whilst it is not clear what happened or what was said behind closed doors, the actions of the current government in Britain appear to suggest to the world that it is complicit in the atrocities going on in Nigeria. When Nigerian activist Ken Saro Wiwa was executed in a sham trial in 1995, the then Prime Minister of the UK, Sir John Major, sent out a strong message to the Nigerian government, even going so far as to suspended Nigeria’s membership of the Commonwealth. The current Nigerian government has committed more crimes than those of previous governments, yet continues to go scot-free with no consequences. If Britain wants the world to believe it does not condone any act of terrorism or slavery, these acts that it ostensibly came to Africa in the 19th century to bring an end to, then these recent actions do not back up that sentiment. If they want to maintain their image, now is the time to put their words into action and prove it to the world.
It is now glaringly obvious to the world that the fate of the hundreds of millions of voiceless people in Nigeria who are trapped in poverty does not matter to Britain. Britain’s concern is that the regular supply of resources from Nigeria continues to flow freely to them unhindered. In addition to the flow of raw materials, Britain also gladly drains the “brightest and the best” talent from Nigeria for the sake of their own development, further depleting the country of resources that could otherwise be used for the progression of their home nation. This cannot be deemed morally right and is an attitude that should be condemned by all worldwide who consider themselves to be people of virtue or proponents of freedom and democracy. Why is the President of Nigeria, who has denied innocent people their freedom, be allowed to freely come into Britain and even have access to the Prime Minister? It shows that the love Britain professes to have for the Nigerian people is nothing more than lip service. The Nigerian people cannot rely on Britain’s compassion to advocate for them, and so they need to rise and stand up for themselves.
Whilst Britain is paying lip service without genuine action to address the atrocities being perpetrated by the Buhari regime, the Yoruba, Igbo and other indigenous people will continue to protest against this injustice. The British people freely held a referendum in 2016 to determine if they wanted to continue their membership of the European Union – a referendum in which the current Prime Minister heavily supported the ‘Leave’ side of the campaign. How can a country and a ruler who so ardently support the right to independence and self-determination of their own people now be the same Britain that stands in the way of over 100 million Yoruba and Igbo people having their own independent countries? A country that championed freedom from the democratic body that is the EU, for the sake of “taking back control of our own country”, will not uphold the right to freedom from the Fulani caliphate, a caliphate that is hell-bent on subjugating the rest of Nigeria in perpetual slavery, but rather offers their endorsement?
The Prime Minister of the UK should realise that the Yoruba and Igbo people are not paupers confined to one corner of West Africa. Rather we are global citizens scattered across several countries of the world, no thanks to the several years of victimisation we’ve suffered in Nigeria. We now employ this advantage of our global presence to help us push for our own independent country, and by God’s grace we will get it. Britain needs to realise that it is in their own interest to begin to forge separate relationships with the southern and northern people independently. The Yoruba people have never been conquered and we will not accept any form of subjugation by any peoples of the world. We will do, and are doing, everything within our power to resist this new form of neo colonisation by Britain. Britain needs to respect our views and stop this attitude of ‘divide and rule’ that they have implemented since the colonial era. Our generation asks for one thing: mutual respect. I do not believe that is too much to ask. Our mass global protest has only just begun. We will not sit down, and we will not be silent. We will press the UK and the rest of the world, who will continue to have us as their guests on a regular basis, until they see the need for justice. Until concrete action is taken. My message to my brothers and sisters: continue to stand strong. We have never been vanquished and we will not start now.
