ON a day the news broke that 14 Nigerians executing the hazardous sea crossing into Spain died, while another 23 were rescued, not a word about the incident was mentioned at the National Assembly.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs already has a reputation for ignoring these incidents.
The closest the National Assembly came to discussing any foreign affairs that day, was the anger at the House of Representatives, where members worried about the non-recognition of their importance as ambassadors. The issue was issuance of diplomatic passports to all members of the National Assembly.
They are working furiously on a law to ease their passage when they go abroad.
Correct figures of Nigerians who perish in this ultimate desperate escape from the uncertainties at home are unavailable.
Spanish rescue agencies record thousands of these deaths annually. Nigerians are suspected to form the bulk of the illegal immigrants who adopt this precarious approach.
Nigerians head abroad under unimaginable circumstances. They have been neglected beyond comprehension, without hope, and no inkling of tomorrow.
Many die. Those who survive spawn further reckless ambitions for millions who believe they have no future in this country. They have many sound reasons in this regard. The most striking of these is that governments, at all levels, do their barest minimum about the welfare of Nigerians.
It seems they have never read Section 14 (2b) of the Constitution, which states, “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. There are no government programmes to achieve this laudable constitutional provision. Nigerians are left groping about everything.
The Spanish coast guards rescued 20 men and three women. One of the women was pregnant. Some accounts said among the dead 14 were children who were thrown over board when they perished in the rigours of the travel in open small boats.
At 120 kilometres from the coastal town of Motril , high waves battering their boat imperilled them. Without rescue, they would have died too. Why would they take that type of risk? The answer lies in the existence Nigeria offers. They consider life in Nigeria tougher than facing the open sea, after tortuous journeys that include long treks through the Sahara Desert , which claims a good number of lives, encounters with brigands and armed rebel groups.
Ironically, those who survive, when deported, as Spanish laws dictate, try to make their way back. They have totally lost hope in Nigeria ’s ability to provide for them. The alternative, they claim, is death.
Does it make much difference if one dies at home or in open sea? To those concerned it is all the same. We could romanticise the situation, but the truth is that our governments should be alive to their responsibilities to Nigerians.
They are not. Those in authority cater only for themselves. This explains the tempers that rose in the House of Representatives, over passports, while majority of Nigerians do not know where to get their next meal.
