THE BLIND SIDE OF IRREGULAR MIGRATION

Irregular migration is driven by poverty, writes Bell Ihua

“Dem no dey tell man, na man dey decide for himself,” meaning no one is told what to do, everyone is responsible for his or her own decisions. This phrase is one of the ‘commandments’ of irregular migration, gleaned from a research study I led a few years ago. In 2017 to be precise, with the support of the German Embassy in Nigeria, I was privileged to serve as principal investigator on a study on irregular migration, or ‘illegal’ migration as we call it colloquially. The study sought to examine the motivations for irregular migration from the lived experiences of actual and prospective migrants exploring emigration options through the dreaded Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, with hopes of arriving Europe someday. It was really about understanding this phenomenon dubbed ‘Europe by road’ and the psyche of those young Nigerians who seek, against all odds, to make those arduous journeys. Adopting a mixed methods approach, we visited recognized irregular migration clusters in Nigeria, like Benin City, Agbor, Asaba, Lagos, Onitsha and Uromi; to gather primary data from prospective irregular migrants and returnees repatriated from Libya, Mali, Niger, Italy and Spain.

Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has continued to monitor and report incidence of irregular migration arising from the country’s huge population, weak economic climate, endemic poverty and porous borders. In June 2022, the Agency reported that over 20,000 Nigerians were trapped in Malian shanties, and exposed to forced labor and sexual exploitation. Federal authorities also repatriated over 3,000 Nigerian migrants from Libya between January and November 2022. Despite these and other revelations, the number of irregular migrants continues to bulge unabated. I argue in this piece, based on findings from our study, that there is a blind side, consisting of certain critical factors, which continues to trigger the surge of irregular migrants in Nigeria. These factors have remained rather off the radar of policymakers, thus limiting their grasp of the issues, and the policy prescriptions aimed at tackling the menace. Amongst several factors identified in the study, five were distinct.

Poverty and economic motivations

Behind almost every case of irregular migration are anecdotes of poverty, unemployment, deprivation and inequality of all shades. These stories also highlight clear trends of ineffective to non-existent social safety nets to cater for poor and vulnerable citizens. From our study, 84 per cent of the over 3,000 respondents surveyed identified the lack of jobs and poor economic conditions as the most important reason why many young Nigerians are exploring the option of emigrating to Europe without valid documents. This is unsurprising, given that 133 million Nigerians, representing 63 per cent of the country’s population, are multidimensionally poor, as indicated in the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index report. Lamentably, Federal and sub-national governments continue to make attempts at tackling the issue of irregular migration, in isolation of the twin evils of poverty and unemployment. They forget that no matter the number of task forces and media campaigns organized against human trafficking and irregular migration, hungry and idle minds remain the devil’s workshop.

Cultural legacies of irregular migration

Some cities, towns and communities have a long heritage of migration, with many of their sons and daughters living abroad. Travelling overseas in such communities attract honor and respect, not only for migrants but also their families. On the flip side, such communities mount intense pressure on young abled-bodied members to check-out at all cost. Two quotes from the qualitative data aptly summarized this point: (1) From a focus group participant in Agbor: “In my community, once a child completes secondary education, the father sells a piece of land to fund the child’s trip to Libya, and he or she must surely get to Italy. This is rampant in Agbor.” (2) From another returnee in Benin: “The community is fond of mocking people who are not doing well… even one’s family can encourage him to embark on this deadly journey… to be the sacrificial lamb to liberate the family.” Clearly, tackling such hardwired cultural legacies require much more than establishing skills acquisition centers.

Myths and faulty perceptions

Myths, faulty perceptions and outright lies also fuel this menace. How else can you explain the ridiculous assertion that those who travel illegally through the Mediterranean Sea will be placed above those who travel by flight, because they get ‘baptized at Sea’; or the faulty belief that the late Catholic Pontiff, Pope John Paul II, declared that any migrant who crosses the Sea shouldn’t be sent back to Africa? Besides, many prospective migrants believe they can never obtain regular travel visas; while others have bought into the lies that Spanish, Italian and French coast guards have been instructed not to repatriate anyone rescued at Sea. Believe it or not, these false narratives have become deeply entrenched within these circles.

Traffickers, agents and “buggers’

Irregular migration thrives on a complex web of social networks comprising traffickers, agents, spotters, recruiters, buggers, and even witch doctors. A common thread from the qualitative data highlighted the role of buggers. Buggers are unscrupulous returnees, who have taken up a vocation to chaperon newbies on these deadly journeys. Their aim is purely pecuniary, with a hint of treachery, seeking to ensnare unsuspecting victims. Hardly will you hear tales of trips from Agbor or Benin City to Kaduna, Agadez, Gao, El Golea and Tripoli, without their frequent mention. I met up with two buggers in Benin City. They even showed me their identity cards, or if you like, their bragging rights, to have been through the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ and back unscathed.

Commandments of irregular migration

Another highlight of the study was discovering the surreptitious ‘commandments’ of irregular migration. The commandments are aphorisms and slangs often expressed within the human trafficking and irregular migration ecosystem; urging one another to keep their eyes on the ball, Europe! Apart from the one mentioned in the opening sentence, a few other commandments tickle my fancy. For instance; (a) No be everything eyes see for jungle mouth dey fit talk, counsels that not everything one experiences on those tortuous journeys can be narrated; (b) As e dey hot, na so body dey feel am, highlights the agonies of victims as they journey through the desert; and (c) No paddy for jungle, everybody carry him own cross, urges victims to remain obstinate in the face of excruciating realities.

I doubt if policymakers in Nigeria have a hang on the hydra-headed nature of this menace. However, it is important to note that migrant remittances stimulate several local economies in the country. To buttress this point, Nigeria accounts for a third of migrant remittances to sub-Saharan Africa, with PwC estimating that these remittances could hit US$34.8bn in 2023. I observed a tip of this iceberg in Benin City, as the queues for international money transfers dwarfed all other service queues in most commercial banks visited. That said, the risks of irregular migration, such as starvation and dehydration, exposure to extreme weather, kidnapping and forced labour, sexual exploitation, organ-harvesting and untimely death, far outweigh any merits of financial remittances. Arguably, the most alarming finding for us, was the sad revelation that every lady who makes that pernicious desert trip to Libya, gets sexually abused an average of 30 times. That’s apart from those who willfully or inadvertently engage in prostitution en route, to fund the remainder of their journeys. Concluding our fieldwork, I curiously asked one female returnee if she would reconsider making the trip, given her last experience. To my utter amazement she retorted unequivocally, “yes sir, I’m only trying to raise some money!” This left me gob-smacked, wondering how long we shall allow these depressing tales to fester?

Bell Ihua mni is a Professor of Practice in Opinion Research at Coal City University, Enugu, and Executive Director at Africa Polling Institute