The news that Nigerian Diaspora remittances hit $35 billion by December 2016 was well-received, especially by the managers of the Nigerian economy, because of the huge impact of the fund on the economy of a country battling with recession then.
Of course, the World Bank projected that Nigeria Diaspora will send more money back home this year than in 2016, estimating something in the neighbourhood of $40 billion.
However, as much as the huge remittance is good, it also has a negative impact. It implies that more diaspora Nigerians now prefer to send money home to visiting bond with their relatives or even see projects they are funding back home.
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According to BDSunday investigations, most Nigerians in Diaspora are still citing insecurity as a major reason for not visiting this festive season.
While the Boko Haram outrage in the north-east of the country has reduced, kidnapping has increased in the South-East, South-South and, surprisingly, South-West.
Oleka Nduguba, a father of three who lectures at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, noted that his family is not visiting this Christmas despite a grand celebration of his father’s 80th birthday because he survived a kidnap attempt the last time he visited.
“The issue is not that kidnappers are prowling during the festive period for the big catch, but the helplessness of the police back home. It took the vigilante to abort the kidnap attempt on me. I will visit when security improves,” said the university lecturer.
For Emmanuel Egem, a Lagos-based businessman, already there are four kidnappings in his home town that will scare people who don’t have backup security to visit home this Christmas.
“My brother who lives in Portsmouth, UK, is insisting on coming home to witness an Ofala festival this Christmas. He assured me that he would disguise with military camouflage while at home.
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“But I was surprised when he called last week that he has cancelled his proposed visit after meeting a friend who narrated how he narrowly escaped from suspected kidnappers while at home for his father’s burial,” Egem said.
The intrigue of the ugly situation is that you can longer trust anybody, not even your blood relations, as two of the four kidnappings in his village were pulled off by relatives of the victims.
BDSunday also discovered that the kidnappers are changing their strategies. They now leave the villages and trail their victims to the cities, while many kidnapping gangs are as well based in the cities now. From further inquiries, it was gathered that kidnappers now infiltrate popular open bars, restaurants and hotels to get information on the identity of the customers as well as other information that will give them a lead.
A police officer, who pleaded anonymity, told BDSunday that kidnappers also recruit some hairdressers and barbers as informants with a promise of a good percentage of the loot if the victim’s relations or associates pay good ransom for their relation’s freedom.
“We were baffled when an innocent-looking hairdresser was brought to our station and she confessed to hearing about the would-be kidnap victim from one of her customers and that she sent the address to the kidnappers who were unlucky as the would-be victim did not stay in the place he earlier booked.
“One of the kidnappers was caught while trying to break into the house and he mentioned the hairdresser’s name and address,” the police officer said.
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The investigation further revealed that some Nigerians in the diaspora, especially those residing in the UK and the US, are now using project managers, notable real estate firms and financial consultants to monitor their investments, track their ongoing projects in the country, buy properties, among others, which they hitherto returned during the festive period to physically assess.
Another issue of concern is that hotels, which most of the diasporans stay while in the country for both privacy and, lately, security, are now recording the worst diaspora bookings in the last five years.
Some hotels decry high cancellation of the bookings between late November and the first week of December as if those who booked the rooms got security alert on the level of insecurity back home.
“Usually, from the second week of December till late January, the hospitality industry experiences lull in business due to low occupancy occasioned by many clients, especially corporate clients, who have vacated and travelled for the festive holiday.
“So, it is the diasporans who look for safety and enabling facilities that sustain us during this period. But we have less than half of the guests we booked this time last year and some may still cancel their bookings,” Ikia Erina, sales and marketing manager of an Ikeja-based three-star hotel, lamented.
Meran Idowu, a hospitality expert, noted that most hotels usually offer promos and discounted rooms to woo would-be guests during a lull in business, especially in cities where people leave en masse during festive period because they cannot afford to close down the hotel for lack of guests, no matter the occupancy rate.
While diaspora bookings are declining, some resorts, such as La Campagne, Inagbe, Le Meridien Ibom, Nike Lake, among others, are getting a full dose of bookings from guests who are resident in Nigeria.
Inagbe Resort, La Campagne and Ibom Resort all boast of over 70 per cent occupancy for the festive period from Nigerians resident in the country, 10 per cent from foreigners resident here, and less than 5 per cent from the diaspora all because of the many stories from home that point to insecurity.
Abiodun Olagunju, room divisions manager of one of the resorts, said the intrigue is that the diasporans are shying away from a holiday in their fatherland despite their high purchasing power, and even discounted offerings by hospitality providers at home meant to woo them no longer matter as most of them think their safety here is not guaranteed.
“I was called by a would-be guest two days ago and he asked how close a police station was to our resort. When I told him about two kilometres, he never called to confirm his booking. Maybe he is not visiting the country again. I guess he called after reading a fresh account of kidnap in Lagos.
“The media is not helping either. I don’t mean they should not report such cases but they should be mild in their presentation because you scare foreigners as well,” Olagunju said.
Besides hotels and related services, families of the diasporans are worst hit by the decline in visitations for the festive period.
“My brother told us that he cannot visit home until summer because Christmas is too rowdy and risky for him. But we cannot wait until summer 2018 to bury our father,” said Martha Ugorji, a mother of two and businesswoman.
“He promised to send money, but we need his presence because he is the first son,” she said.
Loretta Onoriode is groaning already as her fiancé is calling off his visit to settle the marriage rites this Christmas on the advice of his relatives that “Warri is too hot for away guys this festive season because of boys dey hungry”.
Ironically, this is an oil-rich town that has produced many comedians. But the money does not go round, hence the spate of kidnapping, from foreigners and now to rich family members.
As well, politicians mock the ugly situation further with the barrage of mobile security men they travel with to the remote areas, making those who cannot afford such security detail to stay safe wherever they are.
Of course, politicians are prime targets of kidnappers but the heavy security around them deters the culprits from taking them hostage for unthinkable money ransom.
The question that has never been answered is, when will kidnapping stop? Well, maybe until the national resources go round, and leaders lead right and serve the interests of the electorates!
OBINNA EMELIKE
