• Accuse security agencies of harassment
• We’ll address claims, provide better living conditions -FG
From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Nigeria currently houses 10 million migrants scattered across the country. While some are yet to make economic inroads, others have settled and are doing exploits in different endeavours.
As part of its contributions to ensure their safety, the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), organised a town hall meeting recently in Abuja, to understand their plight and fine-tune a way out of their quagmire.
NCFRMI federal commissioner, Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, assured them of the federal government’s willingness to ensure their safety and well-being. It was a no-holds-barred conversation, as they spoke freely on so many societal problems.
A refugee from Sudan, Elnazeer Abubakar, who said he had been in Nigeria since 2021 and who registered as an asylum seeker, lamented that life has not been too fair to him.
Elnazeer, who owns a centre where he teaches Arabic language, complained that the patronage had dropped drastically because of the economic hardship students face in terms of tuition.
Also, he accused the security agencies of always harassing them, even those with valid documents, adding that whenever they are suspected or apprehended as refugees, they are forced to bribe security personnel to enable them get off the hook.
He said: “You know the time I came here, the situation was better than now. Things are hard now, especially for refugees. To get a job is not easy.
“The commission is trying to assist us in their own little way. But we are still in need of a good life. Things are getting difficult by the day, even for Nigerians. To get three square meals a day is very hard and difficult for us.
“Education is very expensive for our children to attend, including the public institutions. Security is a problem due to the conditions attached to it. Insecurity is on the increase. Armed robbers attacked my house about three times.
“We want the government to look into the healthcare for migrants. When I was sick, I went to the government-owned hospital in Wuse. I showed them my ID card but they refused to accept it. I paid through my nose.
“The government should look into education and transportation. In my country, Sudan, refugees are given preferential treatment in terms of transportation. We need jobs. The government should pave way for us to apply for jobs.”
A Congolese asylum seeker, Osil Vanessa, whose father was a diplomat, complained about the tedious process for them to be granted asylum status.
Unlike Elnazeer, who is faced with economic pangs, Osil said she has a job that puts food on her table. Her only challenges are her inability to legally acquire a piece of land for her family, and the inability for her Nigerian child to obtain the status of a refugee.
She stated that the Nigerian government turned down her request on the excuse that the boy was in his country.
She said: “I have been in Nigeria since 2020. I came here with my father, who was a diplomat. He died. We buried him in Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Somebody told us that my father told him that he would drop off his children in Nigeria. Since that was my father’s wish, we stayed back in Nigeria. In 2019, we sought for asylum to remain in Nigeria.
“Nigerians are nice people. We just have small challenges. For instance, to get a passport is difficult.
“I got mine, same with one of my children. But it has been very difficult for some of my siblings to get their passports. Even to renew it has been very difficult. Nigeria is trying, because we are okay.
“Sometimes, people think that when you are a refugee, you will be begging. But that is not true. When I tell people that I am a refugee, they do not believe.
“I have a job. To get the status of a refugee is a good package. I have a child with a Nigerian.
“The child is with me, because I am not married to the person. My child is supposed to have my status as a refugee. But they told me that my child cannot be a refugee because he is in his own country.
“I applied for a piece of land. I was denied because I am not a Nigerian.
“I showed the authorities of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) what the law says, but they refused. It is a big problem. I have been here since 2000. I paid N100,000 for application. But I added another N200,000 because I applied for me and my child.
“I told them that when the approval comes out in 48 hours, as they told me, I would add the N100,000. But it did not work that way.
“The woman in charge told me that she could not help because I was a refugee. They refunded my money.
“The government should help us secure land. The camp cannot accommodate refugees.”
For Hauwa Jubrin from Central African Republic, who has been in Nigeria for over 30 years, she said life became unfair to her when her husband ditched her.
And because of the austerity measures, she had to send her children back to her country, while she battles with the hassles of life in Nigeria.
Jubrin narrated how she abandoned a job of N50,000 because of the astronomical cost of transportation from Masaka in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State to Wuse, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. She appealed to Aliyu Tijani Ahmed to assist her with a loan to start a business in her vicinity.
She said: “My husband is from Chad. He had a problem with the government and he had to run away. I had to follow him to Nigeria.
“I have been in Nigeria for 30 years. After suffering with him, my husband left me. Things are hard. Feeding is a problem.
“To get money to go to the hospital is a challenge. I am the only one catering for myself. I sent my children back to Central African Republic because of the hardship in Nigeria.
“I had a business I was running. But the owner of the shop collected her space. I got a job at Area 1 in a restaurant. My salary was N50,000.
“I had to resign as it was too small because of the high cost of transportation from Masaka, Nasarawa State, to Abuja. Right now, I am jobless.
“The NCFRMI federal commissioner should help me secure a loan to set up a business.”
Also, a Congolese, Souzanne Ebaw, who was born in Nigeria, like Elnazeer, recalled how badly she was treated by security forces because of her status. She claimed that most Nigerian security agencies do not understand the workings of migration policies, hence, they act irrationally.
“My dad was a diplomat. He was transferred to Nigeria then he died in 2002. I grew up here. It has been difficult. But I thank God for the refugee community.
“The security agencies are harassing us. Most security personnel do not know much about migration policies or paper work, ID card; they just want money. Whenever I am arrested, I call my sister to come and help me.”
This story of another Cameroonian refugee, a registered nurse, Abapi Prisca, is a bit different from the rest. She identified segregation and racial slur as her headache.
Abapi, however, praised the Nigerian government for giving her the opportunity to obtain a nursing license, decent accommodation and education for her niece.
She said: “I have been in Nigeria for about four years. I have had a wonderful experience in Nigeria. I have almost felt like I was home.
“There are basically some things I have had very easy as a refugee. For instance, having an accommodation, education for my niece that I came here with who had free education. I am a registered nurse.
“I also had the opportunity to obtain the nursing license and I have a job. Nigeria has been like a home to me.
“However, there is a little bit of segregation, especially at the place of work. Because I found out that most of people were employed as auxiliary nurses instead of a registered nurse, which is highly paid.
“Also, we get this contention at the office. They will tell me that, Yes, we know you know how to do this things but because you are not a Nigerian, you do not have the right to go ahead with this particular procedure.
“It is a personal challenge to me. I had to overcome it by understanding their principles and hierarchy. Before I do anything, especially if it is not an emergency, I will take permission from the doctors. Some doctors understood with me and gave the opportunity to practice.”
The stories of Elnazeer, Osil and Jubrin are not different from that of Vincent Kandolo, a Congolese musician, in the area of welfare.
Kandolo, who compared the hospitality of the Lagos State NCFRMI and that of Abuja, rated the former high. Specifically, he lamented about the long procedure they go through just to be granted asylum.
He called on the government of Nigeria to constantly empower them by organizing training for them.
“I have been decimated in Nigeria as a refugee since 2000. We have relocated to different areas. We came here as a group. We are musicians. We were at the Oru camp, Ogun State before some of us went to different places.
“The Lagos State branch of the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) used to assist migrants in the area of healthcare.
“It is not the same here in Abuja. To get the status of an asylum seeker is taking too long. We need to be assisted. The application process can take you up to a year. It is not good. We need to know our fate either to stay or to leave.
“Lack of empowerment is another challenge we are facing here in Abuja. In Lagos, they (migrants, asylum seekers) used to go for training.”
After listening to their cries and requests, Ahmed counseled those who live in the city of power to relocate to neighbouring states due to high cost of living.
He reassured the distraught migrants that the Nigerian government would commence intensive training and retraining for them.
“We have IDP centres in Keffi. We just completed the renovation of that city. They are here crying that they do not have where to live and can’t pay their rent. It is better for them to come and stay in a free accommodation provided for them in Keffi which is just about 50 kilometres from Abuja.
“In the city, we have all the necessary infrastructure. We have the hospital, clinic, police station and a market. I think that would have been a better place for them to live rather than mill around Abuja doing nothing when they do not have money for rent.
“The Commission is ready to do that for them as soon as we resume after the holiday. We will profile those who are interested for us to allocate spaces for them,” he said.