The Federal Government has been reacting correctly to overtures by the United States Government to temporarily uptake its non-Nigerian deportees. Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, issued what appeared like a final rejection of the offer.
In implementing his deportation of illegal and undocumented migrants, the US President, Donald Trump, had approached several Third World countries, particularly in Latin America and Africa, to temporarily accept alien deportees and help with investigating and verifying their asylum claims. Some of these nations approached include: Nigeria, Ghana, South Sudan, Rwanda, Eswatini, El Salvador, Panama, Paraguay, Costa Rica and others.
In Africa, Rwanda is very proactive in accepting migrants, especially from the United Kingdom in exchange for some benefits. Rwanda and Ghana have accepted the US proposal. Indeed, President John Mahama of Ghana has undertaken to accommodate Nigerian deportees undergoing asylum process until their cases are resolved.
President Trump is using his usual stick-and-carrot tactics to persuade these developing countries to accede to his request. These include some financial offers to cover the cost of the process, tariff threats, visa terms and other diplomatic leverages. Nigeria is one of the countries being asked to take in Venezuelan nationals rejected by their own country. Some of them are hardcore convicted criminals and drug peddlers.
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In issuing final rejection of the offer, Tuggar said: "It will be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own...we already have 230 million people".
Those who wondered why the American Embassy in Nigeria had been tightening visa terms against Nigerians in recent months can now see where it is coming from. Nigerians seeking US visas are more likely to fail than succeed. Those who succeed are given single entries with three-month validity. This is opposed to the former multi-year, multiple entries.
The US under Trump is no longer playing the global Father Christmas, but seeks to optimise its enormous influence to push American interests.
We are fully on the same page with the Federal Government on this. If not for bad and corrupt leadership, Nigeria should be operating at a level where other powers will not dare to push it around with this type of policy. What we need with America and other world powers is strong and mutually beneficial economic and diplomatic partnerships.
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Indeed, we already have our problems. Our detention centres and jailhouses are overcrowded with awaiting trial inmates. We are struggling with multifaceted insecurity which our government appears incapable of overcoming. If we overcome our leadership deficit, no country can use visa restrictions to threaten us. Our people will not only want to stay and make Nigeria greater, other nationals will also be struggling to come to Nigeria.
Our relationship with all foreign powers must be based on mutual benefits and respect.
