A NATION OF HYPOCRITES

Time and again, Nigerian officials complain about the ill treatment of Nigerians in foreign lands. The easiest way for a black African to be deported for all kinds of real and imaginary crimes is to be identified as a Nigerian. This unjust characterisation of Nigerians has been condemned by our officials and individuals alike. Nigerian passport holders pass through hell at the point of entries around the world. A nation that felt so humiliated and whose most gifted sons and daughters are first viewed as criminals even when they have hurt no one is expected to treat itself with circumspect in order to earn the respect of others. A nation whose nationals in foreign lands are considered criminals until proven innocent, you will imagine will treat its citizens within its border with respect and according to the dictates of the rule of law. You will think that Lagos State where Babatunde Fashola, a lawyer, is governor and where the Action Congress of Nigeria’s national publicity secretary , Alhaji Lai Mohammed regale us about the reign of immunity being allegedly meted out by President Goodluck Jonathan to the embattled Rivers State governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, would spare a thought and release a press statement condemning the “deportation” of Nigerians in their own country by ACN government of Lagos State. Even the apartheid South Africa has never done what the Lagos State government and its officials did to fellow Nigerians whom they abducted as “undesirable elements” and dump them like refuse at waste dumps, at Onitsha. This is the most inhumane treatment ever meted out to fellow Nigerians at peace time. With what mouth should Nigerian officials at all levels, including the National Assembly complain when Nigerians are mistreated in South Africa, Europe, Asia, United States when they are maintaining undignified  silence over the human rights violations being perpetrated by the government of Lagos State in particular and other governments for that matter who blamed non-indigenes for all their problems but unashamedly collect taxes from  same people to develop their states. Even if those that were parked like Jews earmarked for the concentration camps by the Nazis, committed any crimes, are there no courts that they should be charged to for their alleged offences in Lagos that the best option was to “deport” them? Under what law does Lagos operate that it had the temerity to chase away other Nigerians from its streets?  By the way why is Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, not speaking out? Why is Femi Falana keeping quite? I am yet to see the avalanche of civil society groups and human rights groups calling on Lagos State to return this Nigerians to the Lagos streets where they picked them from before dumping them at Onitsha head bridge. Is human rights only the preserve of the strong and powerful like Amaechi, while the “dreg of society” are left to their own devices? What moral rights have these folks to tell other Nigerians that Amaechi must be treated according to the law by PDP and President Jonathan when they turn blind eye to the marginalisation of the weakest of the weak of our society? Very soon they will gather in Port Harcourt, human right activists, civil society groups to assert the right of Governor Chibuike Amaechi to challenge the PDP and President Jonathan, because he can allegedly dispense some Rivers largesse to them. Hypocrites!