Nigerian Emigration: The Inconvenient Truth. By Towuromola 'Romy' Fawehinmi my nephew (First published in Medium)
Nigerian Emigration: The Inconvenient Truth Unreported Nigeria Following Jul 5 · 6 min read Before the coronavirus outbreak, one could argue that the happiest places in Nigeria were the departure gates of Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA). For some passengers, these trips have become routine or more poignantly, part and parcel of a self-imposed double life (one foot in the west, one foot at home). These travellers are easy to spot — they engage in comfortable banter with airline staff and are more often than not dressed appropriately (during winter, most can be seen holding coats). In sharp contrast to the aforementioned regular travellers are those that are bidding Nigeria goodbye for an indefinite period of time. For many of these passengers, the journey to the crowded gates of MMIA has been fraught with obstacles that could only be overcome by a combination of emotional support, financial resources, prayers to a deity and perhaps, crime . The r...