Nigerians in UK prisons

To some Nigerians, including
educated professionals, there is the
need to leave the country in search
of the golden treasure. This has led to
increase over the years, in the
number of Nigerians going abroad to
seek greener pasture.
But if the various tiers of government
across the country, over the years,
had stopped paying lip service to the
overall development of the country,
there would have been a drastic
reduction in the number of Nigerians
migrating abroad aimlessly, in search
of greener pasture.A country that fails
to provide its citizens the enabling
environment to discover their talents
and utilise such talents to develop
themselves for the benefit of the
country is irresponsible. It is for this
reason that such a country should be
blamed if its citizens troop out in large
numbers to other countries to
develop such foreign countries
instead of developing their own
country.Although there is nothing bad
if somebody travels to another
country to pursue a legitimate
endeavour, it is, however,
condemnable if such a person travels
out without the necessary papers that
will enable him live in the foreign
country legally.The fact that the home
front is not conductive is not a
genuine reason for any Nigerian to
travel abroad illegally. In recent times,
the number of Nigerians caught
abroad for engaging in criminal
activities such as illegal drug business,
human trafficking and prostitution, is
on the increase. Some Nigerians have
been deported for not having legal
papers to enable them stay in such
countries.It is for this reason that
more Nigerians are being clamped in
prisons across the globe. This is not
only worrisome but also embarrassing
and should therefore, be of great
concern to the Federal
Government.Recently, it was disclosed
that about 16,400 Nigerians are
languishing in various prisons in the
United Kingdom alone. In other
Commonwealth countries, the number
could be alarming not to talk of in
prisons in other parts of the world.It
was amazing to learn as disclosed
recently by Senator Benedict Ayade
that government of the United
Kingdom spends about 1.6 million
pounds to feed about 16,400
Nigerians in United Kingdom
prisons.During a debate on a Bill for
an Act to Repatriate Nigerian
Prisoners Serving Jail Terms in
Commonwealth Countries, Ayade
reportedly would like Nigerians
convicted abroad, especially in the
United Kingdom, to be repatriated
home to serve their jail terms.Frankly,
I do not know if this Bill deserves any
attention at all. For instance, is the
government of United Kingdom
complaining it can no longer take
care of Nigerians in United Kingdom
prisons? Will the UK government ever
agree to repatriate the Nigerian
prisoners to Nigeria to serve their
terms? Has the Nigerian government
repatriated British prisoners in
Nigerian prisons home to serve their
jail terms in Britain? And on a more
serious note, will Nigerian prisoners in
United Kingdom prisoners be happy
to leave the “comfort zone” where
prisoners are perceived to be well
taken care of in a conducive
environment with programmes aimed
at reforming them so that they can
become better human beings after
completion of their terms for Nigeria’s
dehumanising and mosquito-infested
prisons that have programmes that
are more punitive than reformatory?
There is no doubt that Nigerian
prisoners in United Kingdom prisons
will prefer to serve their terms there
rather than be repatriated home to be
subjected to glaringly dehumanising
conditions prevalent in Nigerian
prisoners across the country.For now,
what Ayade and his colleagues in the
National Assembly should do urgently,
is to initiate a Bill which if passed into
an Act, will finally ensure drastic
transformation of the entire Nigerian
prison system.In civilised countries,
prisons aim at reforming an
rehabilitating prisoners to enable
them become better citizens that
could join others in contributing
positively to the overall development
of their respective countries.But
unfortunately, in Nigeria, after almost
51 years of political independence
and huge funds purported to have
been pumped into the decaying
prison system over the years by
successive administrations, the
prisons are more punitive than
reformatory and this explains why
many ex-convicts, shortly after their
release on completion of their terms
still engage in criminal activities that
could automatically qualify them for
return ticket to the prison system.In
essence, the Nigerian government
should pay more attention to the
domestic problems facing the country
in order to encourage Nigerians to
contribute to the development of the
country. It is when the local
environment is not conducive that
citizens go to any extent to migrate
abroad illegally and on arrival there,
they are tempted to engage in
criminal activities that eventually make
their host - countries send them to
jail on conviction.