By Rahman Is’mail
The quest for Nigerians to migrate to western world in search for greener pastures had begun to increase in volumes over the years.
Not even the travel advisory by a special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, urging Nigerians during Donald Trump’s administration to postpone their trips to United States of America(USA) would stop them from trying their luck in securing visa to USA, Europe, Australia and other well developed countries around the globe.
To many Nigerians, America is the Promised Land. A land where clear waters gush and trees flourish with fresh dollar notes, where bees lose their stings and pigs fly.
A land where lame feet are cured and blind eyes are opened, where African accents shed their dense tones and become shrill nasal emissions filled with “R”s and “wanna” and “gonna”.
Migration as best means of future insurance for children
To those that are acquainted to the system, traveling to America and other part of the west, is a clever means of securing insurance for children’s future. Many Nigerian couples do not mind borrowing funds to travel and have their babies there, so that the children are instantly issued with the red booklet that is their passport to a better tomorrow far away from Nigeria.
However, former president of the United State of America, Donald Trump made some efforts to abolish birthright which afford the immigrant’s American born baby automatic citizenship.
According to Trump as reported by The New York Times, “Mr. Trump said, the rule, enshrined in the Constitution for more than 150 years and rooted in common law before that, was “frankly ridiculous,” and said the White House was “looking very, very seriously” at ending a policy that in the past he has called “a magnet for illegal immigration.”
Though, his bid never saw the light of the day as he was brutally condemned by opposition party, Democrat, Senate and legislators, hence up till this moment, children born by American immigrants are still enjoying birthright citizenship in the country perceived to be a dream land for most of Africans and Asians
*Nigerians’ Travel Experience*
Nothing as fierce and tensed as facing a white man, looking straight into his eye, the man or woman that saddled with the responsibility of determine your travel ambitions.
Many Nigerians narrate their conquests at US Embassy interviews in a manner that must be similar to how David recalled his slaying of Goliath.
Interviewer’s continence almost seized my breath – Oluwafunmilayo
“The woman was looking at me,” they say. “I looked back at her. She didn’t even look at my documents. I kept staring at her. I didn’t remove my eyes. Then, she did her face as if she was about to deny me the visa. Her reaction almost seized my breath; I just prayed and asked God to take full control.
“In my spirit, I already knew that the victory was mine. Suddenly, she frowned and said I should come back for my visa. She didn’t even know what came over her. God just took control and turned her heart in my favour,” said a Nigerian American base, Oluwafunmilayo.
My Visa Procurement Is A miraculous One – Denmark based Nigerian, Phinadon
My journey to this country was a miraculous one because, I could remember immediately after my wedding, me and my husband went to Ghana that’s because there was no Denmark’s embassy in Nigeria, only Sweden’s embassy which is a neighboring country located in Abuja. So we went to Abuja to apply for the visa. Meanwhile I did wedding on the July 26th, and we applied for visa on first week of August or thereabouts, ordinarily, it’s usually takes up to three to six months before getting a call for your visa according to information at our disposal that’s if at all you were offered.
In my own case, the story is totally difference, as I was called upon to come and pick up my visa first week of September. I flied down to Ghana and when I got there, I met a lot of people talking and lamenting that they’ve been coming everyday without anything to show up for it. The queue was crazy and I joined them.
When it’s my turn, my dear, it was indeed a miracle because I wasn’t asked a single question, all heard was, “congratulation, this is your visa, enjoy your trip to Denmark”,. Wow! Even everyone around was surprise because they expected them to ask some questions like, “What are you going there to do? Which address you’re going? Who is the person to you bla bla bla…even the day me and my husband was there to apply, they didn’t ask us any question, we only picked up the form pay the fees and left that’s all. So my visa procurement to Denmark was stress free and divinely perfected deal.”
