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Govt moves to curb maltreatment of Nigerians abroad
THE Federal Government has stepped up consultations with other nations with a view to finding a way out of the seemingly endless spate of maltreatment of Nigerians at home and abroad by agents of foreign governments.
He said the move had become necessary following renewed wave of selected mistreatment, humiliation and cheapening of Nigerians in recent times.
Sulaiman spoke in Abuja at a symposium to mark the birthday of Foreign Affairs Minister Olu Adeniji, who turned 71 at the weekend.
"The decision to step up consultations with these known countries was informed by the dogged but diplomatic pursuit of Nigeria's national interest in all its ramifications since "every government the world over has a sworn duty to protect its nationals.
"There are so many things we have been doing which are not disclosed as yet in order not to jeopardise our negotiation capability with these countries."
Only recently, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka was detained briefly by authorities in South Africa because his travel documents were alleged to be irregular even when the renown playwright and poet is a United Nations ambassador.
Foreign ministry statistics show that about 20 million Nigerians abound in many spaces all over the world today as illegal (irregular) immigrants.
Systematic dehumanisation of Nigerians occur at home as thousands of citizens (mostly youths) engage in the rigorous process of acquiring visas to travel abroad.
Diplomats are of the view that the social problem of growing number of Nigerians who seek to leave the country in drove only to be subjected to less than human conditions need to be tackled urgently.
"They need to be told that the idea of a free launch in Europe is a fallacy as the launch has finished. Currently, Nigerians do not report to the missions in the countries they find themselves as stipulated. This is the very beginning of the dehumanisation process," Sulaiman said.
On the panel at the weekend were Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru; the Director Consular Services Ambassador Theophilus Sodipo, Ambassador Lorentina Okonga, Adeyambo Oyesola and the Special Assistant to the minister, Professor Bola Akinterinwa.
The foreign relations experts used the forum to warn drug traffickers whom they alleged are stretching the protective cover services of the nation's missions abroad beyond limits to beware of plying their trade in some Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
They said: "The penalty for drug trafficking and related offence in these countries is death. The warning is timely now...Nigerians are now flocking to Singapore owing to the fact that it is visa free. Not less than 300 Nigerians were arrested in Madrid (Spain) recently for Identity card scam.
"We have found that 80 percent of prisoners (of people jailed for drug trafficking) in some of these countries are Nigerians. The Federal Government has not been re-trying the deluge of ex-convicts who have been pouring into the country.
"We have deferred that aspect of Nigerian law in order not to run fowl of international conventions and provisions on the issue. But they come back here and are instant 'big boys'. You all know them."
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