The Impact of Migration of Edo Youths By Land To Europe

by Eromose Ileso

Inside the massive migration of Syrians and nationals from the Middle East to Europe from their war torn countries, something that has been given huge media coverage in the western world, there is another wave of migration that has gone on for decades, long before the Arab spring and its domino effects developed into the monstrosity it is today. 

It is the migration of Edo youths to Europe using land borders before they cross the Mediterranean sea off the Libyan coast. You could essentially replace Edo youths with Gambians, Senegalese, Eritreans, Somalis and several other African countries. But this piece is centred on Edo youths.
 
This string of movement has been going on for years. Though many have used it to better their lives and that of their families, some have not been too lucky or favoured in this risk adventure. While some genuinely left what could best be described as a hopeless situation back home, others have left 'good' and comfortable conditions by making the hazardous journey by land to Europe. The two sides would be further examined with real life scenarios.
 
The hazardous journey North is one of the most dangerous in the world. Few live to relate the tale of their journey as some of them end up in the wrong hand of smugglers and others perish in the unforgiving waters of the Mediterranean sea. Yet despite the risk, the volume of people making the trip to Europe has increased every year as more than 360,000 people reached Europe by crossing the Mediterranean in 2016.
 
When that number is broken down according to countries, there would be a huge number of them from Nigeria, particularly from Edo State with specific reference to Benin City. That number is expected to go up in 2017 as those that have gone before hand have the potential of paving the way for others to make the journey.
 
Now using specific scenarios, it is easily noticeable that in some neighbourhood in Benin City, several familiar faces have left the scene. Not that they migrated to other parts of the country, rather, they have made the trip across the Mediterranean Sea that many have done.
 
There are exactly about six persons I am familiar with that made the trip either in 2016 or the year before.

I will start with a secondary school mate. I saw him again after over 20 years at New Benin area of Benin City. Incidentally, he said he had been seeing me pass that same place for years, but he wasn't sure whether it was actually me until he called me that day in February, 2015. 

After that we spoke and exchanged numbers which enabled us to chat on Whats app. We chatted and renewed old acquaintances. We subsequently became friends on Facebook. After that he seem to suddenly disappear off the radar. The next thing I saw were pictures on his Facebook page indicating that he was in a camp in Europe. Not long after that, he was in a house, and he was receiving a certificate of basic Italian having learnt it within months of his arrival. He has since settled into life in Italy. Before he left he was selling goods at New Benin market, but he had no store, he was an itinerant seller more or less.

This video reveals a snippet of what these immigrants go through to get to Europe through land and sea. Incidentally one of the persons highlighted in this piece happens to be in the video. Courtesy: CNN

Then there are two others, one was a driver for one of the political parties during the last general elections  and the other had no job or formal education. He traveled with trucks to offload goods from Northern Nigeria. For the former, he made the trip in late 2015, for the latter, I last saw him in April 2016, when I asked after him on January 4 when I visited the neighbourhood he resides in New Benin, I was told he had made the trip, and he was now in Rome.

The fourth person happens to be a brother to a friend. He was a nuisance to his family. He was an eccentric person that seldom settled down to do anything. He learnt sewing, abandoned it and gave away his sewing machine. He went to school, left half way and never bothered finishing anything he started. He was always drunk and was a bother to his family. When I visited on a certain day, I was told he had traveled. He spent months on the road, because he left in February, 2016, but was in Italy by July 2016. "Bros, I greet you" I saw in my inbox on a certain day in July from his new Facebook page having dished the first one. He regularly posts pictures of his activities with his location conspicuously stated as Italy.
 
Then another is one who runs a typing centre in the University of Benin. Though with his personal laptop, in a store shared with several people. I usually saw him most mornings going there for his job. It was the last quarter of 2016, I was told that he was amongst a few that have left from my neighbourhood to Europe. I took notice, because I knew him. All of them described here, all went to Italy.
 
However, others have not been to lucky as they have either found themselves stuck in other African countries. This is particularly true of a technician. He was an aluminum artisan. He could roof a house and fix aluminum windows. He had his apartment. He left abruptly after selling his properties. His journey hasn't gone smoothly. At a time he was stuck in Libya, before coming back to Togo. At the last count, he was planning on returning back to Nigeria.


These are just a few of the scenarios of youths who were in Benin City at least two years ago, but have all made the trip by land to Europe. And there are hundreds of them that make the trip yearly. 

The very essence that many don't see a future for themselves in Nigeria, as a result, those that make the trip every year would certainly increase. Nigeria already have a large contingent of his citizens in Italy and most Edolites found it easy to settle down to life there because they are likely to find a person or two there from their state who has made the journey earlier..
 
The impact of this wave of migration is in two fold. There is the negative and positive impact. For the latter, these ones are expected to join the rate of the diaspora who would be sending remittances home to their loved ones in the near future, and they would serve to improve their lives and that of their families. Although, as one of those that made the journey last year and currently resides in Rome told his neighbour in third cemetery, New Benin, "there is little to do here, as there are few jobs, but it is still better than Nigeria" So, it is not all rosy for new arrivals.
 
The adjustment these youths have to make is another thing. The issue of language barrier, the unfriendly winter weather and the likelihood of deportation. These are things they have to put up with. But they wouldn't care a hoot as many continue to make the journey in droves.

Many of these youths were a source of concern to their families and the society, but some have succeeded in channeling the energy they hitherto used to constitute a nuisance by making an hazardous trip. Most if not all, change for the better because of the humbling situation they had to go through to get to Europe.
 
The negative impact are numerous. Although, a large number of the youths that make this trip had little or nothing going for them while in Nigeria, their departure stands as a economic loss to the country in the short term as youth that would have added productivity to a state's economy if the right atmosphere was in place continue to depart to other countries. 

This is for those that are lucky to arrive in Europe safely. A large number of these youths, never get to make it to Europe, they either succumb to the elements of nature in the Sahara desert or they are arrested and thrown into inhumane cells in Libya, others are adopted by smugglers and fall victim to militants patrolling the Sahel and Sahara belt of those routes. For those that lost their lives during the trip, their families would not hear from them again. A situation that is both distressing and depressing for any family. There are others that perish in the Mediterranean Sea.
 
The bottom line is that this wave of migration would continue. When Libya was a stable country during the reign of Myanmar Ghadafi, a lot of Nigerians and Edo youths ended up settling there to irk out a living if they couldn't make the journey across the Mediterranean to Europe. But with Libya in chaos, and several groups catching in on the situation to make money, the number of people making the journey is expected to increase.
 
I wouldn't be any bit surprised if a youth I know or familiar with suddenly disappears from radar and appears in Europe this year. It is currently one of the most popular wave of migration in the world today and it might just be here to stay if the situation of things in Nigeria continue to take a downturn.