Nigerian returnees as hustlers or agents of change
Author(s): Ijeoma Ekoh
http://telegraphng.com/2013/09/nigerian-returnees-hustlers-agents-change/
Now is the time to re-evaluate what is ultimately behind the recent wave of Nigerians in the Diaspora who are increasingly searching for greater socio-economic opportunities and political relevance at home. How do we account for the contradiction between those Nigerians abroad who increasingly view Nigeria as an economic and professional nirvana, and the multitude at home who are ever ready to flee at the slightest opportunity?
There are of course very obvious reasons for this state of affairs. For instance, there is no doubt that Nigerians in possession of foreign credentials are undoubtedly privileged over those at home due to the resiliency of corruption in the Nigerian educational sector. The preceding situation consequently confers upon the returnees an air of competency or an unearned premium for their possession of Western-acquired credentials.
There is also the uncomfortable truth that in a country where job seekers are often forced to pay recruitment fees, Nigerians coming from abroad are more likely to have the monetary resources to access potential recruiters. Nor can one dismiss the harsh reality of pervasive cronyism and plutocracy which are infinitely advantageous to privileged Nigerians outside the country.
However, there are other explanations for the current state of affairs; ones that have more to do with global realities.
It is important to note, for example, that the global recession has severely contradicted and exposed Western representations of itself as a bastion of economic opportunities for immigrants. Western governments are increasingly implementing stringent neoliberal policies and austerity measures with the hope of facilitating economic growth and offsetting the impact of the recession created by neo-liberalisation in the first place. As such, everyday life has become more precarious for the average middle-income and working class Westerner.
This brutish economic climate has unsurprisingly resulted in rising anti-immigrant sentiments and popular support for restrictive immigration policies. During the pre-recession times, the immigrant was tolerated because they did the menial, backbreaking and exploitative work shunned by others. But post-recession, they are now perceived as a significant threat to the socio-economic supremacy of the natural born citizen and the source of all that is wrong in these societies.
Now, high unemployment rates and economic insecurity has led to both parties battling for almost the same crumbs. In fact, the recession has exposed the shaky foundations that immigrants, specifically Africans, have always stood on in the West.
Caught up in this vicious and periodic boom and bust cycle of capitalism, Nigerians in the Diaspora are consequently being forced to look for opportunities at home. The current economic climate in the West not only demands it but the anti-immigrant policies necessitate it. Further, the economic opportunities being perceived by Nigerians are far from imagined. The African Development Bank has recently reported that Africa is the fastest growing continent in the world, with the Nigerian economy showing positive growth potential.
Hence, for the Nigerian in Diaspora, especially recent migrants to the West, they can be no pretentions about the increasingly difficult life abroad. Although when the North America or Europe-based Nigerian compares themselves to Ihekina and their "suffering and smiling" compatriots at home, they are still likely to count themselves lucky.
But even for those who have spent significant amount of time away, home is also beginning to look appealing. And really why not? If they have equipped themselves with a Western passport with its guarantees of global mobility and are able to negotiate the security challenges of living in Nigeria; home is very desirable.
It is especially so, if one successfully procures a good job that is unburdened with high taxation rates and is customarily replete with food, housing and car and travelling allowances. Haven't we all heard of the oil expatriates who are paid to live in the best hotels in Nigeria in addition to their very handsome salaries?
Aren't we also witnesses to the rags to riches stories of stars like DBanj and Banky W who went from being struggling artists in the West to multi-millionaires in Nigeria? Certainly the rewards are often greater than anything anyone could ask for abroad, particularly if one adds the benefits of being close to one's relations, language and culture.
So, given the above scenario, it is perhaps time that those of us in the Diaspora relinquish the self righteous narrative of "moving back to contribute to Nigeria's development" that is often deployed to rationalise this new movement.
The records show that being bred and educated in the West does not engender the growth of a social conscience. Have we forgotten characters such Dimeji Bankole or Chimaroke Nnamani? In fact most people who move back home end up facilitating the reproduction of the status quo and becoming a part of the problem.
As such, now is the time to ask ourselves some really hard questions. How many of us who have gone home have organised beyond ethnic lines or regional cleavages to agitate and mobilise the people against the gross injustices that characterise everyday life in Nigeria? How many of us have openly lent our voices against the denial of basic human rights to segments of the population, including the poor, women and children. How many of us who created businesses are paying our employees a living wage?
Now is also the time to ask ourselves what is ultimately at stake in our return. We must lend our voices against the cultural and ideological hegemony of the ruling elites and interrogate Nigeria's culture of corruption at every opportunity. We must work with those at the vanguard of social movements to fight kleptocracy and plutocracy. And most of all, we must question and organise against those conditions which create the current state of affairs whereby our people in the country look for a future outside of its borders.
In solidarity
Ajamu Nangwaya
Membership Development Coordinator, Network for Pan-Afrikan Solidarity
"We must practice revolutionary democracy in every aspect of our...[organization's] life. Every responsible member must have the courage of his responsibilities, exacting from others a proper respect for his work and properly respecting the work of others. Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories ...." - Amilcar Cabral - Revolution in Guinea
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