October 15, (THEWILL) – The amount of suffering African Youths endure abroad has degenerated to an unprecedented level where they are at the bottom of the ladder below Asians, Europeans and Americans. Seeing some of them on the street like madmen because they lack legal papers to even get admitted into shelters is very disturbing. Yet, Africans at home celebrate a token lucky few abroad with any glorified job. If Africans are flattered as the most educated, why don’t we see them in the major industries and fields like Asians?
Asians stayed home to change the face of famine and abject poverty, leaving Africa behind. When you hate your own country so much that you are willing to sell it at any price just to get out of it, no such country will ever prosper. The house divided within itself can never stand but there are those within Nigeria whose mission is to make sure the country never succeeds. The sentiment behind Japa is out of greed and self-hate. So much so, that they are willing to slave elsewhere. If you do not love your own country, which country on earth can love you?
Unfortunately, even the middle class that was once well-established abroad could lose possession of their comfortable homes in contention with their wives and children. As African men become old or sick, they are pushed into nursing homes. The Police are too quick and willing to remove African men from the houses they worked all their lives for. It is an absurd notion that you are leaving a well-paid job in your own country for the sake of kids’ schools. Your privileged brats that yearn to be Mis-Educated into strange cultures would come back to taunt you.
Only me, myself and I with other selfish aggrandisements used to be traditionally unacceptable or inhumane in Africa because we saw ourselves as our brothers’ keepers. But the global trend of selfishness has engulfed many communities producing most of the Vagabonds in Power.
It takes an African village to raise a child. But this has lost its value in many cities. Nevertheless, we have to thank our African villages and rural areas for keeping most of our cultures going.
The rich indifference to African progress, local goods and services are typical examples of how Europe Mis-Educated Africans. Infrastructure is the difference between Third World countries and developed Western societies. Yet, poor African countries glorified Capitalism that favoured only Western businesses as if it was the only economic salvation that would enrich Africa when a mixed economy excels in Scandinavian countries.
The reason African politicians are underdeveloped and prefer foreign partners in projects is to help them launder local Reserves into banks abroad. The kickbacks demanded cannot be paid by local businesses without abandoning the projects altogether. But with foreign businesses what you pay is what you get. There are celebrations by politicians and foreign companies after over 60 years of Independence. Foreign businesses can escape EFCC probes, not local ones.
There are businesses willing to establish but cannot bear the initial heavy demands from our political and business leaders that want more as kickbacks than the real investors even before profit. When investors pay more upfront than the profit they would make in the long run, their products, goods and services can never be reliable. There is no way any reputable contractor would build a durable road when most of his profit has already been eaten up as kickback.
Though the West preaches individual capitalism and laissez-faire, no other continent subsidised Agriculture, industrialisation and Transportation more than developed European, American and Asian countries. The wealthy Africans do not care since they have power with or without electricity; they have water regardless of supply from the Water Board and they have private security including German Shepherd dogs to deter robbers. Those dogs scared robbers enough to force them to move on to the next house for operation.
Since the real money, locally or in foreign currencies with privileged Nigerians that can afford everything they need in the luxurious enclaves they build around themselves, Africans now realise that only the poor and the greedy travel abroad or Japa to live. The rich can afford everything and more that they’ll need in Africa. It would be foolish for them to travel abroad to live and suffer despite their tastes for foreign products they can afford anywhere.
There are more foreign currencies in the hands of Nigerians at home than Africans in the Diaspora. Armed Robbers know that because they sniff and plan their individual robberies to go after local moneybags. Others watch Africans on vacations back home until they run out of Euros or dollars to exchange at the black market. Any sensible person must wonder why Aboki would change all their life savings on the spot without moving from the boot of their cars.
The fact is, it takes a long time to save in order to afford holidays in African countries. But real foreign money is not with those visitors and Africans from the Diaspora you see and wish to emulate. The fact is Africans abroad saved all year to come on vacation. So, many are still paying back when they return to their bases abroad. Since those tickets and hotels were purchased on credit cards, many mess up their credit history if they cannot pay back.
Those visitors from the Diaspora, if they are not into 419, drug peddling or drug mules have to save for a year or more. When you see them spending like drunken sailors, informed onlookers watch until they start running out of U.S. dollars to change. It gets worse if they cannot sell the cars or other goods they brought before running back. The buyers or sellers of the cars they bring will not pay knowing they have to rush back before their vacations from work end.
However, even many of our talented Youths who are supposed to be more conscientious, patriotic and informed cannot wait to be underemployed abroad instead of investing for greater future rewards at home like the Asians. They prefer the promises of immediate rewards abroad. Where else but in Nigeria, would Youths sell their houses, businesses, land and bet life savings on tickets and visas to a foreign land that would be exhausted or pay for less than a year?
This is why they say: cow wey dey in a hurry to go America, Europe and Asia, go come back as corn beef.
Farouk Martins
