Skip to main content

African mass migration crisis solved through corruption combatting

Migrants in Calais, June 2015 (Image: Washington Post)

The word 'migrant' is almost considered the naughty 'm' word. Like the 'n' word in the 1950s and 60s which, unlike Barack Obama, I shall not repeat publicly, 'migrant', or 'immigrant' appears to be an offensive word. We pass a shop that sells Polish groceries, an Indian restaurant, a French patisserie, owned by those not born in our country, they get slandered by the right-wing leaning press like Daily Express and Daily Mail simply because they used their civil freedom and started a new life in the UK when in the country of their birth lacked such opportunity.

The immigration 'issue' has been subject to nationwide debate particularly over the past decade as hundreds-of-thousands have flown and resided to the UK while a significantly smaller number of people emigrate from the country. A large number of those coming here are from non-European Union countries in which the primary reason is simple - to get away from their homes enduring never-ending wars, corruption and extreme poverty.

In the news of late, the migrants in focus are from predominantly western Africa. People from nations like Libya, Eritrea, Nigeria and so on risk their lives, by running away from homes travelling thousands of miles with little physical resources, find their way to the north of the continent, get on treacherous boats through the Mediterranean to Italy and gradually make their way to northern Europe. Tragically, many don't make it all the way with fatalities coming from all age groups in addition to those victim to human trafficking.

This has been going on for a while and instantly, the European Union goes full steam ahead, having emergency meetings where nothing ground-breaking is agreed and therefore the mass migration is fuelled with many not knowing where to go. All the migrants know, whether it's by word of mouth or prior knowledge, is that Sweden, Germany, France, UK and the like are the places to be - for prosperity, for luxury, for a brighter future.

The main focus for British news reporters is Calais, north of France - the town which takes travellers to the white cliffs of Dover by boat or train. I have seen some truly shocking footage of the sheer desperation and great lengths people would go to and enter Britain illegally. They sacrifice everything they have left behind to have a criminal record in a country which they think that offers the best opportunities for them.

You have to feel extremely sorry for the migrants. I know I do. It is never easy to leave your home - even if you really wanted to leave home, for anyone it is a huge life decision. And for so many people of one country to leave and head to unfamiliar territory, it does not reflect well on the people who are meant to look after them. I take Nigeria as an example - economically, the urban areas are doing fine. The rural areas are a stark contrast, where terrorism is rife and poverty is clear to see. Yet politically, nothing is being done to protect them, and sadly, countries like the UK who sympathise and contribute more than the government that are meant to look after their people. These governments are so blind to see that millions of people in which many are patriotic about their home nation are struggling, that they seemingly accept their excruciating suffering as everyday life.

The British government have the ability to change things. As a sovereign state that had several African countries as part of the Commonwealth, they have experience in providing what their people need. A chunk of the UK's budget goes to foreign aid but yet not much difference is being made. The much needed funds go straight to the pockets of the African country's government who then won't distribute the wealth to those that need it for education, health and housing. Sure, lots of the British budget goes to globally recognise charities like Oxfam and Water Aid, but again, there is so much certain powerful governments must do in order to help the poorest abroad. Governments in these African countries need to get their act straight, combat corruption and think of their people first.

Achieving this is a very long-term project. It is practically impossible to obliterate corruption, abolish terrorist groups and get everyone out of poverty. But it is a start to exploit these and weaken their significance and supposed dominance. It's a team effort - countries must meet, not conflict, partner in the world drowned with fear and turn that into hope and ambition for everyone. And a group that must encourage it is United Nations. Yet, the UN are absent from the recent immigration debacle. They aren't doing a good job in uniting nations. Their silence is their way of saying they claim no responsibility and yet their interference is exactly what is needed right now.

The migrants lack direction and aren't being accepted anywhere with open arms. Human beings that are being treated like animals - and we are powerless. Some want to help, others can't wait to demonise them. I suggest that, without the UN, those countries affected by mass migration must team up with the nations of where the migrants are from and come up with a sort of arrangement so that thousands of people can be at peace, wherever they are.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The ultimate Bond review

Bonds from left to right: Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, Daniel Craig, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and George Lazenby (Image: Daily Express) Earlier this year, I set myself a challenge - an unserious one at that. yet it was something I took seriously. For years, I have been fascinated by the James Bond franchise but only based my interest on Daniel Craig's films, which were the only ones I had seen up to that point. April this year, I couldn't answer the important questions - what was my favourite Bond film? Who played the iconic character best? I could tell you which song I rated the highest because I knew and love each of them - I feel the 'Bond theme' is a genre of its own, they are that good. So over the last six months or so, I did it. I watched all 25 films, in order from Dr No to No Time To Die. Yes, there are two other 'unofficial' films - Never Say Never Again and the 1967 version of Casino Royale. While they included Bond as the protagonist, they aren...

JSPrice Person of the Year 2024: Elon Musk

Elon Musk and Donald Trump (Image: AP News) When TIME Magazine picks its 'Person of the Year', it's never because the title's editors 'like' a certain individual or group of people. The 'accolade', if you ever want to call it that, is often chosen based on an influencer who has delivered the greatest impact or had a 'big' year, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the said person/people's agenda. So when the title picked Donald Trump this time around, it's not because the editors enjoyed how he defeated Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States. It was because he had one crazy 2024. There were times when we were led to believe he could be behind bars, having appeared in court for at least four different, serious cases. The Politico website has an excellent ' tracker ', so we know exactly what he's been accused of. Despite this, on Monday 20th January 2025, Trump will be sworn in for his second te...

A divided world cannot afford another Trump term

Donald Trump with Vladimir Putin (Image: The Atlantic) This time next month, we get to find out whether it is Kamala Harris or Donald Trump to replace Joe Biden as President. For the first time since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 , the chief in the White House is not seeking to fight on.  Biden didn't want to step back. Right up until his final decision, he stubbornly insisted he was the right person to take on former President Trump for a second time. However, questions were being asked about his wellbeing as the 81-year-old had been seen stumbling his words and steps , panicking key Democrat politicians and donors . Their warnings were stark and quite honestly, if he was to carry on by the party's convention, I doubt he'd have been endorsed by his peers. He, nor they, could afford any division when there is threat of another Trump administration looming. It's hard to define Biden's presidential legacy. I suppose he secured it in November 2020 when he defeated Trump w...