Exclusive- The Lamentable Plight of Nigerians in Senegal

A cross section of the Nigerian Community in Senegal

Undoubtedly, the cliché, there is no place like home holds true for Nigerians in Senegal, another West African country, going by the unpalatable dose of hatred and nepotism dished out to them on a daily basis. Chiemelie Ezeobi spoke with some Nigerians during a recent trip to Dakar, Senegal

With the invitation from the Nigerian Navy to visit Dakar, Senegal, to welcome the newly acquired warship Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Thunder F90; the reporter and two others, both male from other media houses (Nigerian Television Authority and Guardian Newspaper) set out for the three-day event.

Leading the delegation from Nigeria was the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogbor alongside Deputy Defence Attache to Cotonu, Commander Taiwo Braimoh and Commander Shittu Kd.

Dakar, Senegal, was the ship’s first touch with African soil after leaving Alameda, California on November 21, 2011 to crisscross Manzallino in Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, then Tema, Ghana, on her homeward journey to Nigeria.

The ship was acquired from the United States of America (USA) Coast Guard on May 13, 2011, primarily to checkmate piracy and sea robbery on the Gulf of Guinea under the command of Captain Muhammed Baba Nageju with a 150-man crew member on board.

After the epoch making berthing of the ship amidst pomp and pageantry at the Dakar Nave, THISDAY set out with the NTA correspondent to the Nigerian Embassy to speak with Nigerians on the challenges facing them in the country.

Their different revelations and stories cast a pall on the mood of the reporters. Each report dripped of pain, suffering and sorrow in a foreign land. After liaising with the group, we set out to the residence of the Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal, Mrs. Azuka Uzoka-Emejulu to confirm this report.

Generally, the plight of Nigerians in the Diaspora can be described as downright deplorable and pathetic as shown by countless cases of abuse, xenophobic attacks and odium meted out to the citizenry. Often times, Nigerians in Diaspora have resorted to crude means in escaping such hate attacks or even the long hands of the police. An example is the recent deportation of 129 Nigerians from South Africa on grounds of being infected with Yellow Fever.

Nigerians in Senegal Lament

Although structured in ethnic communities; Igbo, Hausa, Yourba, the Nigerians in Senegal are unified by their common pain despite their differences in culture, language and ideologies. For the Chairman, Yoruba Community, Mr. Mouhammed Saheed Olaoye, the life in Senegal cannot be termed easy. While the community was established in 2009, Olaoye has been living in Senegal for the past 14years.

According to him, their plight is not unconnected to the fact that foreigners are often ill treated in the adopted country. Buttressing his point he said, “Life here is not easy at all because sometimes we use to face problems with immigration. Assuming you are travelling from a neighbouring country for business and they see the Nigerian passport with you, you are automatically segregated.

“Even if others are charged a thousand CFA, ours is hiked to 35, 000 for no just cost other than our green passport. If you ask some Senegalese why they detest us so much, they will tell you that their president exhibits preferential treatment to us.”

He called on the Nigerian government to wade into the matter especially in ensuring they are given the resident permit once they fulfill the requirements. Highlighting the challenges they face he said, “When you go for the resident permit, they first of all give up a temporary one called the recipicie.

“The challenge is that while some of the policemen will accept it, others refuse in a bid to get money from us.” He lamented that sometimes the permit even takes as long as six years to be issued, while the recipicie sometimes take two years. “What are we going to walk around with?”

President Nigerian Youth League, Engineer Emeka Nwaogu, corroborated the issue of nepotism. For instance, he said some of the Nigerians in prison are victims of circumstances. Buttressing he said, some of them are traders who had the misfortune of doing group business with some undesirable elements.

“For instance, the authorities in Senegal saw some Indian hemp inside the container and they allowed their people that have goods go free while they arrested the Nigerians. This happened over three years ago and they are still in prison up till now. Even though the owner of the Indian hemp has claimed responsibility, why not let the rest of the genuine businessmen to go?”

However for some Nigerians, life is actually good in Senegal. Chima Ajoku, the first traditional prime minister, Dakar, Senegal concurs to this. He speaks the French language which is a plus for him. According to him, “For me, life is good in Dakar but the same does not hold true for others who do not have the permit and do not speak or understand the language.”

He however said the major issue lies in the fact that the Senegalese police see the typical Nigerian man as a gold mine. He said, “When they ask you for your paper and you do not have it, they will level charges against you.

“It is not all Nigerians in jail that are criminals. There is a place called Fasaun where Nigerians mostly live. The police raids there all the time to make quick money. They use Hilux Vans to pack them whether you have papers or not and then charge them about 100, 000 CFA which is about N10, 000 each.”

He however said the envoy and the embassy have been doing their best to regulate all these issues. They even went to the Senegalese police stations to get the entire seized Nigerian passport because prior to that, the police had formed the habit of seizing our green cards.

The lone woman in the male dominated group, the treasurer of the Yoruba Community, Mrs. Afusat  Kasim, corroborated what Ajoku said. According to her, you will enjoy Senegal when you work hard to earn your living. Her enjoyment is not without its fair of challenges as she admitted being harassed by the police.

Member Igbo Community and Secretary General Confidence Committee of Friends Senegal (CCFS), Mr. Jerome Uche, said there is room for improvement in the relationship between Nigeria and Senegal. In bewilderment he said Nigeria is always segregated in things where other nationalities are involved and they are given preferential treatment. He disclosed that the Senegalese accuse them of rape and criminality in order to cloth their racism.

Human Trafficking and Attendant Issues

While admitting that Nigerians are having it tough in the country, the Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal, Mrs Azuka Uzoka-Emejulu, however said some of them brought it on themselves. According to her, “Life in Senegal for Nigerians is a little tough because they come here with a wrong impression. First, they do not understand the language and the culture of the land and again some of them come without a concrete plan of what they want to achieve.”

With The Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal Mrs. Azuka Uzoka-Emejulu

To this end, she noted that with no concrete plans made aforetime, it is difficult for them to find their footing. She lamented that often times too, some of the Nigerian migrants only come to Senegal en route to other countries albeit illegally. She said, “Some of them do not come to stay but just use Senegal as a transit to other countries. Some of them want to get to Europe from here and unfortunately those that want to help them (human traffickers) deceive them.

“At an exorbitant price, they are told once they get to Senegal, they will be given the Visa to cross to Europe. It is always a shock for the traveler to get here and find out that the trafficker has disappeared with the money.”

She said when left in the lurch, the victims often times take to a life of crime as there are little or no jobs in the country while others veer into prostitution which is legal. She disclosed that sometime last year, a Nigerian woman was gang raped and she died leaving behind a –year-old son.

She said Nigerians resort to crime and prostitution because there are not even enough jobs for the Senegalese talk more for people of other nationalities. Asides the issue of no jobs, she noted that they do not speak the official language; French so cannot be given a job.

She disclosed that the shame of going back to Nigeria empty-handed even with the prospect of a bleak future in Senegal is often out of the question. According to her, the victims always refuse on the basis of having burnt their bridge back home. “If you advise them to go back home, they refuse because they will ask you how they will go back empty-handed. Most of them probably sold all they had to raise the money to travel out so instead of going back to Nigeria, they opt for a life of crime.”

Illegal Deportation of Nigerians

Reacting to the issue of the inhumane deportation of Nigerians, the ambassador said it does not apply to everyone rather those whose papers are incomplete. According to her, most of the Nigerian citizens in Senegal do not understand the Economy of West African States (ECOWAS) treaty which states that you must not stay beyond 90 days in another country without getting a visa and residency permit.

The treaty clearly states that you face deportation if arrested. She disclosed that Nigerians are not even deported properly rather are dropped off at Mali because Senegal do not have the funds to take them back home. She said, “The Senegalese simply drop off the deported Nigerians at Mali to find their way since they do not have the funds. Last year, about three persons died in a boat as they were trying to cross back to Senegal from Mali.”

THISDAY gathered that the end result is some of these deportees die in the Mali Desert while others make attempts to either go to another African country or back to Senegal where the cycle is repeated all over again. She urged the media to create awareness of the ECOWAS treaty and what it entails.

Senegalese Disdain for the Nigerian Passport

From all indications, the Police Force of most countries is unified by a similar characteristics; corruption and intimidation. The same rings true for the Senegalese police. A fact confirmed by the envoy. She also confirmed that the Senegalese police expressed their anger against Nigerians by tearing up their passports.

 She said, “It is true and for the ones we are aware off, we have taken it up with the appropriate authorities and the problem is that our people are ready to bribe their way through and the police knows this and are capitalising on it.

“The policemen now make it a point of duty to look for Nigerians to arrest because they know they will get money from them. Even if their papers are complete, the police will still find a way to extort. There was a typical case that happened and when we took it up, they were begging us.”

180 Nigerians in Prison

The ambassador disclosed that there are about 180 Nigerians in Senegalese prison, adding that efforts are being made to secure their release. However THISDAY gathered that there might be more. Some of the Nigerian communities spoken to alleged that some are killed off without the knowledge of the embassy.

The envoy however could not confirm this but said some of the Nigerians held behind bars are victims of nepotism. She noted that the alarming increase of those arrested prompted a meeting with the minister of justice who disclosed that sometimes they do not have the financial capacity to prosecute the inmates.

She also said they are really handicapped in cases whereby some Nigerians are held illegally. She noted that efforts by the Senegalese government to deport some of them almost always prove abortive as they simply come back.

She partially blamed the Nigerian challenge on lack of communication with the embassy. Buttressing her point, she said some of them do not inform the embassy of their problems on time believing that they can buy judgment.

Without a shadow of doubt, the envoy admitted that while some cases smacks of pure hatred others are justified. She disclosed that one of the worst crimes committed in Senegal by Nigerians is drug peddling, which is a sore point for the Senegalese.

Flashy Lifestyle

Apparently the flashy lifestyle is what one cannot take away from Nigerians. This, the ambassador blamed for some of the hatred held for Nigerians. She explained that the Senegalese see the common Nigerian man as a pompous person, so full of his self importance. Nonetheless their myopic view, she said Nigerians contributed to it.

According to her, “the Nigerian man believes in showing off what he has which of course deeply contrasts with the poverty of their environment thereby setting off dour emotions ranging from jealousy to anger from their African brothers.”

Buoyed by this, she said the Senegalese always tip off the police against their Nigerian brothers whenever there is a case of armed robbery or unrest. THISDAY gathered that things came to a head last year June as the Senegalese took the law into their hands and burnt some Nigerian churches (Nigerians have about 35 churches in the Muslim dominated country). She said, “They felt we were contaminating them with our flashy lifestyle. They cannot understand why some Nigerians do not work and yet they spend money.”

About Republic of Senegal

With a geographical area of 196,722 square kilometers (76,000 square meters), Senegal is said to be slightly smaller than South Dakota and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau. Known for its terrainous foothills, Senegal is made up of 14 cities which include the capital Dakar. Others are; Diourbel, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Rufisque, Saint-Louis, Thies, Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, Fatick, Matam, Kedougou and Sedhiou.

Same as Nigeria, Senegal which runs a republican government gained its Independence on April 4, 1960. The country’s population has been put at 12,643,799 with an annual population growth rate of 2.5 per cent. Languages are Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandingo and Soninke as well as French which is their Lingua Franca. While 94 per cent are Muslims, five per cent Christian and one percent traditional worshippers.

NB: This story was written in 2011 but I wanted to publish it in my blog as i would continue to do for my past stories I feel people should read.