There are different dimensions to the migration phenomenon. Sometimes it stares you in the face without your realizing it. As I write, I am in Enugu. Given my turn of mind, I asked a colleague: How did Enugu start? The colleague replied that Enugu was originally a no-man’s land. The British came, discovered coal and then people from the surrounding areas started to move into what is popularly known as Coal City.
What is being said here also goes for Lagos. By the time I read Lateef Okunnu’s book, I could not but see that Lagos has seen waves and waves of migration – so many waves that at a point in time a song was put in place. Among other things, the ditty goes thus: “Lagos State is a state for all. . .” But one has to hold it here, for the real Lagosians will dispute this. Even then, who are the real Lagosians. The Brazilians? The Saros? No. They also came from somewhere.
Again, a lot of hypocrisy also defines the migration experience. The current campaign in the US as regards who succeeds President Obama is very instructive here. Immigration is a big issue in the elections. And a fellow like Donald Trump is loud on this particular issue, whereas America is land of immigrants. As far as we know, only the so-called Red Indians are indigenous to the place. The Clintons, the Bush dynasty and, of course, Donald Trump migrated from somewhere. This goes to show that migration in itself is a power relationship. A relationship in which the immigrants of yester-years begin to determine who will come in and who will be allowed to stay.
Meanwhile, as 2015 draws to a close, one phenomenon which appeared to define the year was the migrant. There was this harrowing and chilling picture of the hapless boy who got drowned off the coast of Turkey. He and his parents were seeking a better life, away from somebody’s war.
Predictably, the African dimension of the migration narrative is equally chilling. On a regular basis, hundreds of Africans perish in the desert or get drowned in the sea in their desperate search for the supposedly better life in Europe. The shocking thing here is that the AU and African leadership have been silent on this numbing and human issue. At a point in time, the human flow receded in view of the fact that the European Union (EU) came up with the expedient of an agreement with Muhammad Gaddafi’s Libya. Courtesy of the agreement, Gaddafi helped Europe to stem the flow of migrants from the continent. But when it became convenient, the self-same Europe turned on the Libyan strong-man and deposed him. Subsequently, the refugee flow resumed in earnest from various African countries like Ghana, Mali, Ethiopia, Eritrea and, of course, Nigeria. Unfortunately, this time around, the refugee flow has been complemented and compounded by another disastrous one from the Middle East.
Against this background, it is possible to appreciate the seriousness which went into the hosting of the recent Euro-African Summit on migration. Among other things, the Malta meeting came up with some proposals as regards how to stem and if possible halt the human flow from Africa. By way of incentives, the EU came up with an aid package of €1.8 billion as well as more markets and visas for their citizens. These incentives are meant for African countries that are able to arrest people smugglers, and also accept to return migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected.
These are very thoughtful gestures. But it is possible to contend that these gestures by the EU amount to nothing but tokenism. On this note, it is important to understand the push and pull factors which give rise to migration. As regards the former, features like bad governance, wars and corruption have ensured a situation in which thousands of Africans continue to vote with their feet, with Europe as a choice destination. Such indeed is the karmic nature of life that the erstwhile metropoles are favourite destinations for Africans. An example is relevant here. Chances are that a migrant from Nigeria will end up in London. As a sticker in the office of one immigration lawyer in the UK cynically reads: “You are here because they were there!”
Even then, Europe itself should not be too self-righteous about migration. At a point in time, the Europeans were migrants too. The Statue of Liberty is an eloquent testimony to this aspect of the European experience.
In view of the immediate foregoing, the EU should take a much more realistic position on this human situation. Evidently, the palliatives on offer smack of nothing but minimalism. On the other hand, African countries also have a responsibility to ensure that the governance climates in their respective social formations are wholesome. Should this roseate situation obtain, Africans will be less inclined to migrate to other countries.
All told, however, as I contemplate another shade of the African migration experience, I cannot but wonder. In the post-apartheid era, South Africa has since become something of a magnet for Africans who live north of the Limpopo. Why? The Boers despite their apartheid doctrine successfully turned that place into a first world. On this note, I can only say: shame on an African leadership which turned Africa into a dustbin while heaping largely hypocritical howls on the Boers.
Q: African countries also have a responsibility to ensure that the governance climates in their respective social formations are wholesome. Should this roseate situation obtain, Africans would be less inclined to migrate to other countries.
Kayode Soremekun
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