By Bose Adelaja

From available information, life has become a tale of hopelessness, indeed one big hell, for many Nigerians who left their country to seek for greener pastures abroad.

A case in point is an illegal immigrant who hails from Ondo State (name withheld), who was persuaded by a friend into going abroad to seek for fortune and to make it big. He sold his family’s cocoa plantation to pursue his dream of striking it rich in a foreign land.

He eventually arrived in one of the suburbs of Italy where a rude shock awaited him. He discovered to his dismay that all the promises made by his friend were false. Thus, he was left in the dilemma of adjusting to the unfortunate situation or returning home. He eventually settled for the decision of lying about the situation by faking his death. This he did by printing his own obituary which he sent back home to give the impression he was dead.

But years later, one of his kinsmen came across him in the suburb and immediately identified him. The kinsman promptly made calls to Nigeria to confirm earlier claims that the migrant was dead. When confronted with this, the illegal sojourner had prostrated and begged his kinsman not to expose him.

Two Nigerians, Messrs Jide Ogidan and Tony Iwobi, who had lived in Italy for decades affirm that many illegal Nigerian migrants in Italy employ this deceitful ploy to hide their unenviable status. The former, a film director with Nollywood TV Italia and the latter, a Councilor with Lombardia Regional government-cum-Managing Director Data Communication Labs were in Nigeria recently to launch a campaign against illegal migration to foreign lands, especially to Europe.

Iwobi, who hails from Ogwashikwu in Delta State, narrated his experience as a councilor, saying between January and May 2014, about 40,000 people have migrated illegally into Europe, thereby adding to the already bloated illegal immigrants. Out of the figure, about 5,000 deaths were also recorded.

The illegal immigrants, he said, were mostly Nigerians and Arabians. Most of them, he said, have no business being there, surviving mostly as beggars. As a result of this ugly and pathetic situation, Mr Iwobi has decided to float an organisation to alleviate the sufferings of these illegal immigrants.

Meanwhile, he is appealing to Nigerians without valid travel documents not to embark on fruitless sojourns, particularly to unknown countries. He said Nigeria is richly endowed, adding that the country has enough resources to sustain and better the lots of Nigerians.

He said what Nigeria lacks is leadership, that the country has what it takes to cater for the masses. “Many of those who travel to European countries are languishing in poverty. As a result, we created a charity outfit to help them out through acquisition of document, job creation, accommodation and health services,” he said.

He advocated that Nigeria should collaborate with other sovereign nations and make embassies open to those who have genuine intentions to travel abroad. “The embassies should be open for those who want to travel abroad for business, education and other cogent reasons. There is no basis for Nigerians to illegally migrate to other countries where job is lacking. Many are suffering over there but they are ashamed to come back home. We see them start from the scratch,” he said.

He canvassed that there should be awareness about this. “I am coming back home after 38 years of sojourning in another country; I want to come back home and make Nigeria a place worth living,” he added.