By IKENNA EMEWU
THERE are announcements that should not be made at all; but if the announcer should be so bereft of consideration for the feelings of the receivers of such information and airs it, it should be best attacked.
Such announcements would just be declared as worthless and should not be left to go unanswered. That is the reason I think it very proper to reply the United Kingdom over news reports recently that it has announced waiver of visa requirements for citizens of Commonwealth state members.
Two months ago, Britain exited the European Union (EU),through the celebrated Brexit. That has generated tension all over the European Union and mostly in Britain that takes the wrong end of the pieces.
Since then, Britain has been on the economic battleline that has necessitated some quick fix measures its Central Bank did last in 2009 after the adverse effect of the September 2008 world economic meltdown. All these show that Britain is embattled and gasping for breathe, as a result, the country wants Africa to fill their gap of their importance in the world order. Is it impossible they plan to use this ploy to lure Africans willing to migrate to use them as slave labourers and recolonize Africa? In fact, it is a questionable move and really ill-timed and must be discarded. I actually call on African leaders of those countries in the Commonwealth, to advise their citizens not to fall for this sinister motive by Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister.
Over historic times, UK has never been a fertile ground for struggling Africans to find survival. It’s only people that plan to decay that migrate to Britain apart from those that hurry out of their country uninformed.
On July 29, the most prominent bank in Britain, Llyods Bank, announced huge job losses and closure of branches as widely reported in the media. The report stated that: “The negative impacts of Brexit have already started hitting the British economy as British Lloyds Banking Group on Fri- day announced, that it is cutting 3,000 jobs and shutting 200 branches, as the lender braces for a cut in interest rates following Britain’s exit from European Union.”
“Following the EU referendum, the outlook for the UK economy is uncertain and while the precise impact is dependent upon a number of fac- tors including EU negotiations and political and economic events, a deceleration of growth seems likely,” Lloyds Chief Executive, Antonio Horta- Osorio, said.
A week later, the British Central Bank also announced negative outlook and the need to adjust and contain the biting effects of the Brexit. Reuters reported that: “Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and other members of the Monetary Policy Committee gave a news conference after the Bank cut rates for the first time since 2009 and said it would buy 60 billion pounds of government debt to ease the blow from the Brexit vote on June 23. So, at a time Britain is battling economic crisis, what does PM May want more Africans in her country for? To be her slaves of course, and that is why this call should be repudiated.
The reason is simple. It aims to open more doors for looters of African resources who pose as leaders to take their loot to London banks. Already, up to 50 of monies stolen by African leaders are in London banks, so with open doors now, it will afford them better ease to steal and leave with it, and again, the crude oil theft in Nigeria through the connivance of Nigerian and UK officials would increase because the people behind it would easily run across into UK unhindered. This is more capital flight and more plundering of Africa in focus.
Before she came to power, as an avid pro-Brexi Obama of the US for visiting UK in May and asking the citizens to vote to remain in the EU. May’s reply to Obama was so terse that she came close to deploying racist epithets saying she knew from time that Obama hates Britain because of his Af- rican ancestry as according to her, Africans have not forgiven Britain for colonization. That is a wise conclusion and since she knows Africans’ mindset about her country, why is she throwing the doors open for citizens of 18 Commonwealth members, including Nigeria, to come over to the country they don’t love? And her statement also was an admission that she knows very well that the evil Britain or England did in Africa is hard to forget. So, when and why did PM May suddenly become a friend of the member states of the Commonwealth?
It is a surprise that after the Commonwealth had existed for years it is today that Britain came up with this suspicious policy that makes no sense. That gives me good reason to call on the 18 African countries in this union with no relevance to copy the example of The Gambia that pulled out of the Commonwealth some years ago and bring that body to a deserved end.
The body was formed and sustained to confer undue importance on Britain as still the imperialist over the member states when it should rather be paying compensation to over 50 countries it heartlessly plundered. Its lack of importance is reason that the US is not a member even when it also got Independence from Britain. The union’s importance is overtaken and should be discarded.
Every time the Commonwealth meets, the Queen of England sits as presiding officer and the meaning of that gesture is simple – all of you re- main my slaves and slaves of England as your fathers were slaves to my father.
*Emewu, staff of Sun Publishing Ltd, writes from Beijing, China