A Case Against Citizen Deportation

‘Every Nigerian is entitled to live in any part of the country he or she chooses without any form of molestation or intimidation’ Anayo, an orphan and teenager of seventeen, decided to relocate to Lagos when it became obvious to him that his future in the village was bleak.

There was no job forthcoming after managing to complete his secondary school education. The only alternative left for him was to engage in subsistent farming. Unfortunately for him also, the only farm land he inherited from his late father had recently been taken from him forcefully by his father’s brother, leaving him with virtually nothing. Thus, when a close friend of his suggested the idea of them leaving for Lagos in search of the golden Fleece, Anayo embraced it with all glee. Unknown to him that singular decision was almost to cost him his life.

He had barely stayed in Lagos for two months, squatting with his ‘master’ at the popular Ladipo spare part market when the place was closed down by council officials for sanitary offences. To make matters worse, he was among those detained by the state environmental task force for constituting public nuisance. He was locked up in detention for a month before forced to relocate back to his state of origin. Now, Anayo is back to the basics, frustrated and angry; unsure of what to make of his life.

On a regular basis, thousands of youths like Anayo leave their home towns; from all parts of the country, to Lagos in search of improved standard of living. Like the sons of Jacob did in the period of great famine when they besieged Egypt in search of food, these youths believe that once they step foot on Lagos, all their financial worries would become a thing of the past. Unfortunately for them, there is no Joseph on the throne to help them with some illusive grains. There is no free lunch in Lagos. It would not be long before they realised that, after all, Lagos is not paved with gold as they have been made to believe. There are no jobs and the cost of a room is almost beyond the reach of the average man.

In a nutshell, there are hardly provisions for people like him in the emerging mega city. With this gloomy situation, they are left with the option of either relocating back or just hang around, waiting for an opportunity to hit it big, in whatever way. The result is that many of them end up indulging in criminal activities and paying the supreme prize.

The recent ‘deportation’ of about 70 indigenes of Anambra State government by Lagos State leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Some of those deported claimed they were abducted on the road, detained in a camp and then dumped in Onitsha, Anambra State by trailers and trucks. If this is a true narrative, then it is a callous action. It is an affront on the right of those indigent men, women and children and a calculated move to deprive them of their constitutional right and liberty as citizens of Nigeria to cohabit in a place of their choice within the territorial integrity of our country. No amount of explanation can justify the inhuman manner in which those poor citizens were treated.

Even if they are lunatics, or vagabonds as representatives of the State government would want us to believe, the truth is that they still deserve some human treatment. After all, they are still humans like you and I, created in the image of the Supreme Being. They have needs, feelings and emotions like you and I. They are people’s parents, fathers, mothers, aunties and nephews. Indeed, every Nigerian is entitled to live in any part of the country he or she chooses without any form of molestation or intimidation.

By dumping them in their ‘home’ State, Lagos State is indirectly saying that the State is now a no-go area for some sets of individuals who, for no natural cause of their own, do not meet up to the boisterous requirements of the authority. Is this not reminiscent of the desire of Hitler to create a pure race of Germans; those fit and strong to conquer the world. What divine or constitutional right has any one to segregate between the rich and the poor?

This also reminds one of the callous action taken some years ago by the Abia State government in sacking all indigenes of Imo State working in their civil service. In the first instance, we need to understand the grave implication of this action and the need for all well meaning Nigerians to rise up and forestall such from happening again in any part of the country. We need to ask which constitutional provision formed the basis for the cruel deportation of our fellow citizens. Is it now a crime for one to be poor? What effort are we making as a nation to cater for, or assist the needy and vulnerable amongst us? Or should we just condemn their lot to untimely death simply because they are incapacitated?

Ours is a country where those in authority rarely make provisions to cater for the well-being of its citizens, even those who have served judiciously. No wonder many people in service strive to make personal provisions for their retirement by hook or crook. Do you still wonder why corruption would continue to thrive?

We all have a grave responsibility to ensure that the well being of every single Nigerian is protected at all times. These are trying times, we know. And that is why those in authority must rise up to the challenge of creating opportunities for the citizens to make ends meets legitimately. As long as development is seemingly concentrated in limited parts of the country, there would always be criss-crossing. Most importantly, mass deportation of citizens is not the lasting solution to the myriads of problems facing our society. You cannot obliterate the poor in order that the rich would continue to live in comfort. The God that created us differently has a reason for doing so.