By Ehichioya Steve Odion
Refugees4Refugees, a non governmental Organization based in Germany has advocated for the removal of all inhibitions to free movement of persons from one country to another.
The NGO made its stance known recently in Benin City when it had an interactive session with some refugees/migrants, especially those repatriated from across Europe and other continents.
The interactive session was for the organization to profile them and know why each of them was deported from Europe to enable the organization find workable way to resolving them accordingly.
During the session, all of them expressed reservations about their respective experiences while in foreign land. They generally blamed the Nigerian government for failing in its social responsibility to its citizens which has contributed immensely to the massive migration of Nigeria citizens outside the country that has led to several deaths amongst young Nigerians.
Some of them recounted the way they were inhumanly treated and dumped into prisons with little or no help to come out of the dungeons. This is the more reason this organization has taken it upon itself to carefully scrutinize their issues one after the other to ascertain the cause and effect of their deportations and those requiring legal interventions for possible restitution and restoration.
They however, noted that human trafficking and irregular migration flourish because there are cartels that pose as credible migration organizations who exploit the system for their selfish interests.
They made a revelation of a virgin teenage girl who was trafficked within Nigeria and someone was made to pay heavily to dis-virgin her, describing the situation as pathetic.
They identified ignorance of migration policies of destination countries as the major problem migrants face, noting that a violation attracts prosecution and punished.
Some of them agreed they most often time avail themselves for exploitation having known the implications of the perilous irregular journey they embarked on.
They blamed the near absence of re-integration programme to support deportees’ resettlement plans back home in Nigeria, a development they insist must be looked into to cause a shift.
Refugees4Refugees has been in this line of duty for years where they interface with migrants and those organizations that deal with migration matters. And it has been of immense benefits to the Nigeria migrants as the activities of the NGO rekindle their hopes and make them useful to themselves once more.
In an interview with the founder of Refugees4Refugees, a refugee activist based in Stuffgart Germany, migrant counsellor and co-ordinator, and also very active in Nigeria, Rex Osa Aghedo said over time he has observed the power play in the area of migration within the Europe continent.
He added that these issues usually begin from the departure through migration governance where they determine those who come into the country and those that shouldn’t.
He said there’s a kind of colonial power play in the matter which doesn’t guarantee equal rights and level playing ground, especially when the European countries try to impose their strict migration policies on African countries.
“What does these African countries have to present on the bigger platform of migration? African countries do not really have anything to offer in that regard.
The migrant activist said he has discovered that the problem we have in Nigeria is lack of awareness which is associated with not have ideas of how these things work. He said the thing that follow is to accept the situation as it is, stressing that the CSOs and other interest groups must be aware of the agenda of European countries in the area of migration and effectively communicate same to migrants.
Continuing, Aghedo said because of these problems enumerated above the people from Africa continent usually play into their hands of what they have to offer them and thereafter encounter all sorts of problems. He said right now the CSOs concentrate on human trafficking, which he described as the real cause of forced migration.
He noted that since we continue to dance around those who provides the funds, it becomes inevitable that we will always pay the price of working within their framework, because they will not give you money without giving you conditions.
He said that European countries have no interest on Africa in migration issues, rather they prefer to protect their own territories and get those migrants they need and send back those they don’t want.
“They claim to sort out those migrants that will serve their Interest and when they feel they are no more useful they are thrown out. The truth is that the Germans will always want to put you in vulnerable situations. Meaning you are in a country, but looks as if you are not there because one can hardly get a job there without stress”.
He lamented the situation where many Nigerian working there, paying their taxes and other levies had been deported with no trace of crime. He added that these are the people who are already in the system that could have been regularize which doesn’t require much of integration procedures and suddenly they are thrown out without any compensation.
He said that tells you how bad the system is. He said they always want fresh people who are not aware of what is happening and they again direct their inhuman attitude to such people and suddenly send them back to their home countries. He described the situation as slavery.
Aghedo regretted that the African governments are handicapped in this situation as they work within the rules or policies of destination countries which they may not know about before appending their signatures.
He said that is the reason the CSOs should conscientize and sensitize the people, because if they are aware and strong, they will be in a position to cause the government to act, taking into account the fact that European governments change their laws mostly on a yearly basis thus requiring all hands being on the deck as government alone would not be able to do it.
“My NGO engages in No-Border movement in Europe. Because I feel talking about freedom of movement not legal migration discourse. Border control and bilateral agreement. Freedom of movement is everybody’s right, because people are free to move about. Freedom of movement is what we really need to look into”, Aghedo concluded.