The ever increasing number of desperate Nigerian asylum seekers in Europe, America and other developed countries is worrisome. A recent report released by United Nations (UN) agency, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), disclosed that Nigeria is seventh among countries whose nationals seek for asylum overseas.

Top on the list is Iraq with 13,200 asylum seekers and Afghanistan with 12,000. Nigeria is grouped among the other main countries where the asylum seekers come from. Others listed in this main group include China, Serbia (including Kosovo), Russia, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Europe is reported to have been receiving 75 percent of all asylum applications while the United States (U.S.) receives the highest number, 23,700 or 13 percent of all applications. France ranks as the second recipient nation with 10 percent of all claims (19,400), followed by Canada (18,700), the United Kingdom (UK) (17,700) and Germany ranked fifth (12,000).

In Africa, Somali came third with 11,000 asylum seekers. Specifically, about 7,700 Nigerians had reportedly sought asylum by the end of June this year. Compared with last year figures, Nigeria is also ranked among countries where the percentage of asylum seekers has significantly increased. It is reportedly put at 47 percent.
At the end of the first quarter of 2008, about 2,471 Nigerians had been registered as seeking asylum in industrialized nations, while for the same period this year, the number has increased to 3,793. Also, in the second quarter of last year, 2,761 Nigerians had been registered as asylum seekers by the UN agency compared to 3,890 at the end of the same period this year.

Figures released by the UNHCR showed that there was a steady rise in the number of Nigerians fleeing and seeking asylum in industrialized nations between 2007 and 2008. The UN agency said the problem for this asylum claims remains the fact that “security conditions continue to deteriorate in large parts of those countries” from where the asylum seekers hail.

The agency also said that ongoing violence and instability in some parts of the world, force increasing numbers of people to flee and seek protection in safe countries.
Till date, some 185,000 asylum seekers filed applications in the opening six months of 2009 across 38 European countries, the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea, representing a 10 percent increase in the same period last year.

It is a perplexing development that despite our enormous natural resources and wealth, some Nigerians still seek asylum in foreign countries due to deteriorating economic condition and social discontent in the country. No doubt, many of them also do so out of ignorance, oblivious of the equally harsh conditions they are fleeing to. As we said in our earlier editorial on this issue, the pastures abroad are not always greener as erroneously believed. More so, no country has its roads paved with gold for passers-by to pick. The effort put into survival abroad can equally yield great dividends if applied here too.

All the same, this phenomenon is lamentable because we have enough resources to go round but because of greed and mismanagement, many Nigerians have been pushed to the desperation of being refugees in foreign lands in order to eke a living. The situation is, indeed, a cause for concern. It is also a symptom of the quality of leadership we have been unfortunate to have.

The increasing number of Nigerians seeking asylum every year should challenge our political office holders to govern well instead of being over-excited with such positions. The government owes it a duty to make the socio-economic conditions conducive to the average Nigerian. Our citizens need not seek asylum in other countries. The government should ensure that this trend does not continue. Its continuation questions both the logic and necessity of having a government in the first place. It is time the government made Nigeria a place for all of us to stay in happily, and not a land to be despised and derided.