Stories have always circulated, of girls auctioned off into sex trade, people kidnapped, their organs harvested and sold in the “black market”.
Human trafficking it is a sad reality that has hitherto thrived among us, albeit clandestinely.
That is, until a video footage emerged, courtesy of CNN, showing real-life footage of humans – consisting largely of West Africans and predominantly Nigerians - being sold openly in slavery.
The general response from the rest of the world has been one of outrage.
Outrage at the brazenness of this modern-day
slave trade.; at the pegging of a human life to as low as $400. That is, a
human life is equal to the cost of groceries for a month, in a middle-class
household.
There has also been outrage at inadequate
publicity on the crisis shed by members of the United Nations (UN), and the UN
as a whole, as well as insufficient efforts to put a permanent end not just to
this horror.
But mine is a different kind rage. One which is more concerned with the underlying cause of the problems,
and not just its indications.
My annoyance is largely directed at the
Nigerian Government. And the governments of the other West African countries, whose
nationals are also victims of the slave-trade.
It is true that the United Nations and
the ‘superpowers’ could do more, show more interest in the (literally)
life-or-death crisis. For starters, we have not been inundated with “pray for victims
of the Libyan Slave-Trade”, as is similarly awash the media in recent tragedies
affecting human lives, especially in the realm of terrorism.
Thus, the easier way out would be to
blame the United Nations, blame the world, blame the super-powers for their
disinterest. Particularly the United States of America, which appears more
preoccupied with its rising sexcapades scandals, than with the dire issue of
human lives.
However, just like any person would be
hesitant to rush into a burning house to save the effects of the said house, if
the house owners are seen to be casually sitting in front of the burning house,
drinking and eating away merrily, the rest of the world leaders would only
dance to the tune set by the leaders of the countries whose nationals are
affected by the slave-trade.
In the face of this crisis, neither the
African Union nor ECOWAS have put up strong statements, indicating moves to put
an end to this crisis, and protect its nationals.
Bringing it home to Nigeria, the
President has been silent, and the office of the Presidency, through the
Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Relations has only issued a
statement indicating that about 5000 Nigerians migrants have been brought home from Libya since
May 2017, and shifting blame to Libya’s internal governance challenges.
Which does nothing to provide assurances
on how or when the remaining Nigerian victims will be rescued, or strategies to
ensure that future instances of such slave trade (or even, Nigerians illegally
migrating to Libya) will be prevented.
In saner climes, heads would be
rolling. Figuratively, that is.
(Remember Clinton, and Benghazi??)
In Nigeria’s case, the foreign envoys
to Libya have neither been recalled nor questioned. Even as Presidents of other
countries whose citizens are not personally affected continue to speak out
against the disaster and lend their support, the Head of the Nigerian State remains
mum.
You would think we would all be too
used to this silence as a mode of response; what with the silent treatment
given to the Benue mass-murders by Fulani herdsmen, and the drowning of young
boys acclaimed to be IPOB supporters by the Nigerian soldiers.
But one can never get used to betrayal
of trust by a trustee, which is the position that our leaders occupy. Herein lies
the first source of my outrage: the silence.
Beyond this is the knowledge, that
government after government have failed the people, birthing a certain kind of hopelessness
which extinguishes the basic instinct for self-preservation, pushing citizens
to subject themselves to all forms of self-degradation – and even possible risk
of loss of life - in the quest for a “better tomorrow”.
After all (they would say), a life with
no food, no water, no security or assurance of a tomorrow is no life at all.
This is death already, they think. Until they face actual death.
For as long as the common wealth of the
nation is not shared equitably, and the benefits of our ‘democracy’ not
cascaded to every Nigerian (born or unborn), the unfortunate truth staring us
is that this crisis is far from over. More people will offer themselves up for
an unknown (and possibly, lethal) future to escape the hardship of the present
they face.
It is the helplessness of this reality
that is the root of my rage.
Unless the Nigerian government
decisively focuses on improving the standard of living for the common Nigerian,
the government may more or less be the hands which tie these citizens, the
vehicles which transport them to their harrowed end, and the mouths which
haggle the pieces of silver for which their fates may be sealed.
Our elected officials
therefore owe us as a whole an obligation to go beyond providing mere
statistics on the numbers of migrants returned to Nigeria, to actually quelling
this slave trade, by ensuring better living conditions for the Nigerian people.
And it is not far-fetched,
or totally herculean.
Cut the salaries of the
legislators. Reduce unnecessary numerous personal aides, motorcades and convoys.
Provide small-scale business owners with investment opportunities, which would
cascade down to the retailer around the corner. Roll out various trades
schemes.
Sink boreholes in every
village in Nigeria.
Provide farmers with
access to adequate capital. Build housing schemes and improve the general
infrastructure of the areas inhabited by low-income earners, and not just the
high-brow areas.
Invest in improving healthcare
in Nigeria, rather than in paying millions abroad for the healthcare of public
officials.
Chairmen of local government councils
should ensure that road contracts are executed, and the state governments should
jointly enforce this.
Provide electricity, so there is no
need to waste resources in the importation and use of generators. Make the
refineries work, so there is no need to keep importing petrol, thereby
sustaining the enrichment of a few.
Rather than spend the common wealth of
the nation on lavish parties and in funding the lifestyle of a few, distribute
it to every Nigerian, by genuinely using the time in government to ensure
access to amenities.
It is only then that some optimism may
return, and the people would be inclined to finding hope in the present, rather
chasing a tomorrow that may never come.
In the meantime, the Presidency should
clearly indicate present measures being undertaken to secure the release of the
other Nigerians still trapped in slavery in Libya, as well as recall its envoys
to Libya, while replacing them with personnel more qualified to deal with the
intelligence required to deal with the present situation.
The practice of sending rather
ill-prepared and oblivious envoys on foreign postings as a way of political ‘compensations’
should be done with. The priority should be (and remain) that foreign
emissaries are trained to protect the country’s interests, and be its eyes and
ears in the foreign land.
Notwithstanding the failure of the
Nigerian (and West African) leaders, the world still owes it to humanity, to put
an end to the crisis. Politically-correct arguments surrounding ‘sovereignty’
should not be used as a shield to avoid global responsibility.
At the very least, the United Nations
could apply pressure on the leaders of the countries whose nationals are
involved to taking lasting measures in preventing continuity or reoccurrence,
and actively lend its support in putting an end to this human crisis.
After all, we are humans first, before
being citizens of any country.
Meg.
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