By Edoamaowo Udeme
As International Organization for Migration (IOM) in conjunction with Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) met recently for a 2nd Summit of State Diaspora Focal Point Officers and Standing Committee on Diaspora Matters, Some Nigerians hope to heave a sigh of relief as they are sure to get the backings of their country while in Diaspora.
A case of Mr and Mrs Itoro Solomon who live in Legmo, Germany is a typical example. They are victims of what they both term as injustice. They risk losing everything including their nuclear family. Currently, their three kids ages 5, 4 and 22 months old have been taken away from them and they have been locked up.
According to Itoro “I live in Legmo. On 02/05/2019, they cut my daughters white hair in kindergarten and my wife went and confronted the woman who did it. She was told to shut up and my wife got angry and threatened to report to the head office, the woman told her that she will call them too and instruct them not to respond to her”.
“We did report the incident to the head office, they apologized and promised to send us a letter of transfer so she could transfer our child to another school but surprisingly on the 08/05/2019, two Jugendamt women visited our house my baby was crying and my wife was bathing my son. They inquired why the baby was crying and my wife replied that it was normal for a baby to cry since she was bathing the other one. They left”.
“About 30 minutes later, my wife received a call that the police were on the way. The Police arrived and placed her under arrest, they forcefully injected her and took all my children away while I was still at work, till date, we don’t have access to our kids”
“Since then, we have been battling to have our children back and in the process, instead of getting them back, we were arrested and detained at the YVA Detmold, Bedefelder Police station since August this year. We are still in detention till today. I am writing this letter from my cell”.
“Our lives have fallen apart, The pictures of my kids currently breaks my heart. We are not even allowed any form of communication with them”.
I want well meaning Nigerians to come to our aid, I want my children back, I want my family back together, we did not commit any crime, we need answers to our questions but above all, have our kids back together again” Itoro begged.
This and many more are the injustices meted out to Nigerians in foreign countries on a daily basis. The sad aspect is that the Solomons do not have any link on whom to approach for help from Akwa Ibom State or even in Nigeria.
When the International Organization for Migration, (IOM) in conjunction with Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) recently held it’s 2nd Summit of State Diaspora Focal Point officers and Standing Committee on Diaspora Matters, 28 states were represented by their appointees and 9 were yet to appoint theirs.
Akwa Ibom where Itoro Solomon would have channelled his case to, was missing in action as they are yet to appoint a representative despite being given enough notice.
According to Frantz CELESTIN, the Chief of Mission, International Organization for Migration, many countries of origin have formulated polices for diaspora engagement aimed at leveraging on their overseas communities as a resource for development.
“Such polices range from securing better welfare conditions for their migrants abroad, to promoting investment and contributions to development of which such engagement could be a catalyst to technology transfer, investment, and economic development of homeland”.
While thanking EU for it’s massive support, CELESTIN noted that “in 2017, Nigeria received remittancesup to 22 billion dollars and became the highest reciypient of remittances in Africa and the fifth highest recipient in the world after India, China, Mexico, and Philippines, this means the country receives more in remittances than in foreigndirect investment, official development assistance, and other inflows”.
On her Part, the Chairman/CEO of NIDCOM Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, noted that since the establishment of NIDCOM a year ago the commission has engaged Nigerians in the Diaspora policies, projects and participation in the development of the country.
She pointed out that amongst other things, the commission is working with IOM, World Bank various Consular and Foreign Missions to generate Data for Diaspora mapping.
“During the COVID 19 pandemic, on receiving Clarion calls from Nigerian Students in Wuhan China, the commissioned intervened and the needed assistance was immediately effected”
“We also intervened by returning 367 Nigerian girls initially trafficked to Lebanon and brought them back for subsequent reintegration”
With NIDCOM, There is hope for the Solomons but it would have been far easier if Akwa Ibom State had by now appointed a Focal Person which would have made interventions for them far easier and faster.
One hopes that the appointees would have a background knowledge of Diaspora issues, take every complaint at heart and see to proper interventions.
One also hopes for interventions for the Solomons family but with prayers that Akwa Ibom State and the other 8 remaining ones should quickly appoint thier Focal persons so that cases like the Solomons will not keep delaying.
For Now, Itoro Solomon’s fate is hanging in the balance as no rescue is in sight for them.
