By Dr. Joel Ademisoye, United States
I vividly recalled the Xenophobia period and experience in Nigeria at the height of the oil boom and the flowing of the petrol Nairas, economic downturn and soaring unemployment rate in the country, President Shehu Shagari issued an Executive Order for the undocumented immigrants to leave Nigeria. This Shagari’s order was believed to have affected about 2 million immigrants, half of it, were from the country of Ghana, hence the infamous saying that “Ghana must go” in 1983, a name given to the cheap polythene bags that were used by the Ghanians to carry their household belongings out of Nigeria. In a comparison perspective, xenophobia behavior in Nigeria in 1983, which was state sponsored, whereas the recent wave of xenophobia incidents in South Africa was attributed to the grassroots violent agitation, protests, attacks on and looting of the African immigrant owned businesses. Bluntly put, xenophobia behavior in South Africa, is tantamount to a violent, brutal and deadly acts of vigilantism involving- intolerance, intimidation, harassment and eviction of the African immigrants in the country. But, I still wonder why the immigrants are the culprits behind and blamed for the anything wrong in the host country, such as the rising unemployment rate and soaring crime rates and breakdown of the law and order, etc.
Interestingly, I read about the unfortunate and sad news that the Cambodian government has requested that all African immigrants to leave and are declared persona non grants (unwelcome) in the country. This anti- immigration policy of the government in Phnom Penh, is a copy cat of the President Trump’s radical, tough anti- immigration policies and strict, aggressive enforcement of the immigration laws in the United States and other right wing governed in the European countries, with the political ideologies of conservative and nationalist tendencies. The many observers of the U. S. Immigration Affairs and radical policies of the President Trump administration have attributed them to and tied up with the political ideologies of Trumpism, the ruling MAGA Republican Party and its Conservative- Nationalism of America First. The bitter truth is, Trump America has rolled up its welcome mats for the immigrants and put the Statue of Liberty in the Long Island in the New York City to shame, disrespect and on the chopping block, which is now replaced by the U. S. draconian anti- immigration laws and aggressive enforcement by the ICE, such as a case pending in the U. S. Supreme Court about no birthright citizenship and also the holders of Green Card must leave the country in order to process, reapply for and renewed their residency permits at the U. S. Consulate in their home countries.
For this writer, how can the U. S. be the leader of the free world, yet it closes its doors to the political asylum seekers, who are fleeing the political dictators and corrupt, oppressive government at home? I found that these two roles to be a contradiction and in conflict as well. Honestly speaking, the United States has become a hell for the immigrants and it is no longer an epicenter for immigrants in the world that is friendly, accommodating and welcoming to the immigrant population from all over the world, where the citizens are persecuted for political, ethnicity and religion and fleeing the political dictators and the oppressors at home, like the Uyghurs in China, Rohingya in Myanmar/ Bangladesh, Ethnic Armenian in Azerbaijani and Christians in Nigeria, could turn and migrate to in order to seek a political asylum. The traditional culture and historic opportunity and practice of haven to these fleeing immigrants to the United States, is gone with the winds under the President Trump’s political leadership and watch as well.
On the question of xenophobia in South Africa, the ugly, barbaric and inhumane attitudes and behaviors towards their fellow Africans from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, etc, began immediately after the expunge of the Apartheid regime in 1994. But, 32 years after the demise of the apartheid government, xenophobia attitudes, behaviors and attacks against the foreign immigrants from the above named African countries are still the target of the unruly, violent, brutal and deadly grassroots vigilante – Operation Dudula movement, which is taking advantage of the current conditions of high unemployment rate, crime and poor government services delivery to the citizens of South Africa, which remains alive, in practice and unabated by the President Cyril Ramaphosa government or its predecessors in office in the country. You might recalled that President Ramaphosa’s recent comments about the incident of xenophobia in South Africa, he strongly condemned the anti-immigrant protests and declared that there is no place for xenophobia, ethnic mobilization, intolerance, violence in South Africa. He further blamed the Opportunists for attacking the foreign nationals and warned against taking the laws into their own hands. However, I consider the Ramaphosa’s verbal comments and condemnation as a docile government action, a political rhetoric and playing to the political gallery of the grassroots politics in South Africa.
It is the humble opinion of this writer, that the President Ramaphosa’s response to the xenophobia conflict and crisis in South Africa didn’t go far enough, which I likened to a mere slap on the wrists of the members of the vigilante groups in the country. Yet, I see a silver lining in it. There is an urgent need for a paradigm shift in addressing this perennial, chronic problem of xenophobia in South Africa by reining in and sanctioning the members of the vigilante groups and anti-immigrant movement in the country. Thus, a strong political leadership, bold action and political will are required to fight the practice of xenophobia to a standstill in South Africa.
Also, xenophobia is an eye opener for the PUSH factors and domestic problems facing the many African countries, such as poor governance, corruption, inappropriate government policies, mass poverty, economic downturn, high inflation, poor infrastructure, high unemployment rate, etc. These push factors create the poor conditions and the Doctrine of Necessity for the citizens of the African countries, especially those youths of the country like in Nigeria, who have an insatiable appetite to Japa (migrate) from the country in seeking the greener pastures, better economic/ social lives and gainful employment opportunities in the foreign countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), South Africa, etc.
Oops! I just realized that President Trump and the United States are marking and celebrating the country’s 250 years anniversary of its independence from the British rule in 1776. Question: Is the United States and its migrant population witnessing a new epoch of immigration laws, rules and regulations in the country? I vividly recalled that the candidate Trump, during his 2024 U. S. Presidential campaign/ election, he feasted heavily upon the immigrant populations of Mexico and Haiti, claiming and blaming them for the many atrocities and criminal activities that were committed in the United States.
I see the act of immigration to the foreign countries as having tougher requirements and difficult future with severe implications for and negative impacts on the development of the African societies, communities and countries, because of the brain drain factor involving the members of the educated, well trained and professional workforce, like the medical doctors, nurses, university lecturers, etc., which are carrying their knowledge, skills, experience and intellectual capacity to the foreign countries, leaving the African countries empty and bare in terms of siphoning off the trained personnel for the public institutions and staffing of the many health care institutions like the hospitals and universities in Nigeria. I vividly recalled that the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC), noted the problem in one of its reports. This transfer and movement of the human capital from the developing countries in Africa, which helps to explain its historic dependency on the developed countries and continuous unprecedented underdevelopment of the African countries, especially in the areas of science, technology and innovation. Therefore, I characterized immigration as a vehicle for the flight of the human capital from the developing African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia to the developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, etc.
To reduce this asymmetrical immigration tendency in the world, which is skewed in the favor of the developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, etc, the elected political leaders or the presidents of the African countries should and must undertake a soul searching about their domestic problems and take a strong, bold action to address and corrective measures and appropriate government policy to transform and improve their country into an effective, functioning and operational government, by electing a competent and non corrupt political leaders, who are capable of delivering the dividends of democracy to the citizens, by creating a conducive environment for the development and growth of businesses and generating job opportunities for the growing and restless youth population in the country. Without mincing words, there is an urgent need for a paradigm shift in the African governments’s philosophy, thinking and practice of poor, incompetent political leadership and governance in the African countries which is characterized by the elements of the lack of transparency, accountability and integrity, perhaps it would incentivize and lure the African citizens to stay at home in the developing of their country. The bitter truth is, if the African citizens don’t remain at home to develop their countries, who will do it for them? It is imperative that the African presidents. should take the immigration conflict and crisis in the African countries seriously and make it a government policy priority area. Similarly, for those Africans, who have migrated from the shores of their homeland, it may offer the rethinking philosophy of and the opportunity for a Reverse immigration or those who have undertook ‘Japa’ to the foreign countries, to return to their home countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, etc.
However, It is inconceivable and unrealistic to end immigration by the country’s government or citizens owing to the unforeseen Push factors in the country such as the political dictatorship and oppression, ethnic civil war and religious conflict in the country, as witnessed and experienced in Sudan, Somalia and Rwanda, which gave rise to grave human tragedy, suffering, insecurity challenges and massive population dislocation and displacement, which served as an impetus and spark for the process of forced immigration from these African countries. Hence, the African governments should be aware, cognizant, and concerned about the Push factors in the country, socio- economic welfare of the citizens and undertake a paradigm shift by re- introducing the practice of employment hiring based on the educational qualifications, merit and competency approach rather than the current present practice of an applicant’s political connection, ethnic affiliation and godfatherism factors in the country.
What are some of the root causes of the youths’ interest in, their affinity and appetite for the desperation immigration through the perilous Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea journeys to the European countries of Italy, Portugal, Spain, etc.? The Kenyan immigrants’ bad experiences and abuse of their human rights in Russia need much to be desired, in fact, it should be investigated by the international community of the United Nations and examined by the scholars and researchers of its immigration policy in the context of the host government’s lack of responsibility for, the abuse of the political power of the President Valdmir Putin government and the mistreatment of the African immigrants by sending them to the war fronts in Ukraine? For this writer, I think the Russian government’s strategy of pseudo recruitment in using the young men from the African country of Kenya as a reservoir for replenishing the lost memories of the Russian Army and a lifeline for the declining Russian fighting forces in the Ukraine. It is necessary and important that the African government should take the responsibility, control and developing an effective governance, administration and management of the immigration policy in the country. Hence, this new African government’s intervention and proper governance of the immigration policy would prevent the Russian government’s unilateral and direct recruitment of the Kenyan citizens for the employment opportunities in Russia without the knowledge of and approval by the President Ruto government in the nation’s capital of Nairobi. Russia is using false recruitment strategy, pretenses and lofty promises to lure and attract African migrants from the Kenya’s Capital of Nairobi to Moscow, before they are deployed to the war fronts in Ukraine. Arguably, the world of immigrants is fractured, vulnerable and tempting because the political leaders like Russian President Putin, administration, which is taking an advantage, exploiting the Push factors involving the woeful economic conditions, mass poverty, high unemployment rate and poor governance in the African country of Kenya.
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