This columnist was sitting alone at an award night in Port Harcourt last Sunday waiting for my colleague. Fine music was playing.
This lady, not more than 32, emerged, sized me up, and decided that this man, 66 soon, could be game. She summoned her polished voice and asked if she could take five minutes of my time. I made noises but agreed. She smiled and sank into the seat.
The moment she began her pitch, my mind flew away. This pretty fully faced young lady was selling me foreign lands, foreign citizenships?
Hmmm! Why would any person of my age bracket want to acquire passports of other countries! She told me how easy the process was by investing in such countries and the business opportunities therein. To access them, I would invest in a country of my choice until I qualify for their passport.
I turned to look at her fully-fed and rounded face; or is it supple? I looked into her eyes and spoke. I told her I was sad that young people would now hawk the passports of other nations and woo the remaining indigenous investors to save and move it abroad to buy citizenships.
I was expecting her to wince and go defensive or apologetic. Not at all! She returned my look straight into my eyes and told me yes, sad, but real.
She shifted in her chair and told me that buying citizenship abroad was the best offer to any reasonable person in this country. She painted our picture: insecurity, corruption, nepotism, political rascality, collapse of the judiciary, unemployment, etc. She asked me what hope any person had in this country. She said her niece was kidnapped in Owerri and picked up in Eleme after ransom. She asked me if she had any reason to trust any agency of government or anything to work.
I was dump-founded. I told her I have no plans to flee. We must fight and win back our country. I told her my children are long grown up with their own families. They can flee if they wanted but most of them are not thinking in that direction.
We parted ways that night with heavy hearts. She was unhappy selling those passports but she is determined to do it. The country has failed her generation. Let’s think again oh!
