It is no longer news that over 750 female pilgrims to
the yearly Hajj were initially detained in Jeddah and Madinah by the Saudi
authorities as they were adjudged to be without male companion. What is news
however is the fact that despite the Nigerian Government inviting the Saudi Arabian
Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Khalid Abdrabuh and issuing a 24hour ultimatum, about
908 pilgrims who were refused entry into the holy land were deported back to
Nigeria as soon as the 24hour ultimatum elapsed.
The Vice President Namadi Sambo who expressed the
country’s displeasure over the treatment being meted out to Nigerian pilgrims
performing this year’s pilgrimage in the holy land said reports available to
him suggested that only Nigerian pilgrims were being subjected to such
dehumanising treatment.
My response to such statement by Mr Vice President is
how dare complain of being dehumanised by another country when we are worse off
in treating our own citizens. How many billions has he and Mr President
embezzled at the expense of the common man whom they have subjected to abject
poverty? What fair treatment have they meted out to their very own citizens
which should warrant a better expectation from another country? Can your own
citizens afford to eke a decent life using the #18,000 minimum wage yardstick?
Can your citizens beat their chest proudly about justice, fairness and equity
in the judicial system right in their own land? Does the common man have access
to portable water, good road network, electricity and security just to mention
a few? You treat your own like a piece of rag and expect some other country to
treat them like prince and princesses? Absolutely IMPOSSIBLE!!!
He fascinated me by saying no reasonable and
responsible government would sit and fold its arms while its citizens are
manhandled and I find this amusing. We have forgotten that the world was
watching each time police bullets killed innocent citizens and no one is ever
prosecuted; that they are privy to the way our own government policies are
killing and no one seem to care, the way
public officials steal from and oppress the same people they had sworn on oath
to defend. We have forgotten that each time the less privilege is deprived of justice,
the world was watching. Not to even talk about the official endorsement of
corruption by retaining indicted public officials with some of them getting
conferred with the National honours.
You know it is really bad to be a Nigerian in Nigeria
as even expatriate gets a better treatment on our own soil than we the
citizens. You can then imagine how worse off it will be for Nigerians in the Diaspora.
A country where citizens get cheated every now and then
by the government not to talk about how badly employers treat employees and the
same government expects us to be accorded a warm reception in a foreign land?
We must be jokers!
The country who has seen that the life of an average
citizen in this country is worth nothing will definitely take undue advantage
of the same citizen whenever the need arises.
It is indeed laughable that a 24hour ultimatum was
issued to the Saudi government. If only Mr President and Vice alike knew any better
or had better advisers, they should be issuing 24hour ultimatum to corruption,
injustice, poor budget implementation, exploitation of citizens, extra judicial
killings, police brutality, election rigging, violation of fundamental human
rights just to mention a few. When these and many more have been dealt with,
then they can expect citizens of this great country to be treated with utmost
dignity and respect.
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