Day by day one is greeted on the internet with stories of migrants who died on their sojourn to Europe and America for greener pastures. Reports of migrants found dead around the deserts of North Africa and in the Mediterranean Sea are on the increase. This lives me with an unresolved puzzle as I keep wondering when it will all come to an end.

While pondering on this, a colleague asked my thought on the way out of this hard economic situation. She continued; "some people say jetting out of this country is the only way out, do you think they are right?" I looked straight into her eyes, I took a deep breath and I responded thus; all I know is that it might not be greener at the other end which you think is better. What we need is to strive harder and cut down on expenses so that we can survive and get sustained from the little we make as income.

The continuous attempts by people of all ages and tribes to live the country has resulted to brain drain of unknown technocrats, soldiers and above all, heroes/heroines who often times don’t even make it to their supposed destination of greener pastures. I am deeply pained that some of the lives lost could just be the very hands that we needed to fix the economic challenges in our country and other African countries where the issue of migrants are rampant.

Thousands of Nigerians seek refuge and asylum each year, and some migrate illegally, transiting through North Africa and then through the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. I recall vividly after graduation and awaiting NYSC call up letter in January 2009, my very close friend joined fellow compatriots to flee the country for Libya where he would depart to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. While he called that he was in Libya with a host of other migrants, I could perceive from his voice the relief of living the shores of Nigeria and seeing himself in a greener economy over the sea.

Then came the 'D-day' of voyage through the sea on a gigantic flying boat. Family members gathered to pray for safe sailing across the sea. I was not left out of interceding for him with my other friend as we prayed in our hearts and monitored the internet for related new on sailors. Little did we know that we were soon not going to hear from him again after we heard of a ship wreck, which in all sincerity could have involved his boat. This is the seventh year and nothing has been heard of my friend. No one even knows his fate whether he is alive and trying to make ends meet or it is the other side of the coin. Only God can tell.

In spite of this; the number of migrants is on the increase on a daily basis. It is no news that Nigeria tops the chat of African migrants to Europe, in terms of the age distribution; the majority are between the ages of 18 and 59. Some vulnerable people have also been identified, including children, female and elderly people.

We have read reports of migrants die from the harsh temperatures in the regions, which can reach a brutal 42C (108F), with blinding sandstorms tearing across the desert. The hostile conditions mean that only a fraction of those who die trying to cross the area are ever found. My heart faints each time I realise that part of the quake-sand in the deserts of northern Africa is formed from the decomposed bodies of fellow compatriots. It is sad to know that the Mediterranean Sea has swallowed thousands of our able-bodied men and women, resulting to the loss of unharnessed human treasures. In the course of 2016, An AFP report stated that over 142,000 migrants arrived Europe with an estimated 3,100 people perished in the Mediterranean Sea.

No thanks to this government and previous governments that have failed to improve the standard of living of the masses. More than 70% of Nigerians live below the national poverty line. Also, millions have been internally displaced due to religious and ethnic conflicts.
If you were to take a vox pop across the country to ask people for their usual New Year resolution, it will not be any surprise to hear over 50% of the population making plans to leave the country by 2017. One cannot totally blame the masses because the present situation has pushed many far beyond the walls. Nigerians with this mind don’t border about being packed in an overloaded wooden boat or rickety boats, all they want is to leave this forsaken country.

The way out is not farfetched but the implementation of the various ideas that have been advocated in the past has always been the challenge. Whilst the international community is making efforts to reduce the number of people embarking on this suicide mission, our own government should also intensify efforts to put an end to the brain drain exercise.

According to AFP report, EU has put in place plans to promote private investment of up to €60 billion (£48 billion) in countries where many migrants originate from - Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Senegal, as well as Jordan and Lebanon. They also want to speed up readmission deals with African countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, to make it easier to send back people who do not win refugee status.

Concerted efforts are also in the pipeline to unveil plans for a "blue card" system for skilled migrants to come to Europe legally. The aim is to reduce the incentive for people to try to smuggle themselves into the continent on flimsy boats and putting their lives at risk.
If EU is this concerned then our own AU and the government of the concerned countries should be more concerned. But we relatively get the opposite; nonchalant attitude from our government, which depicts how much we place less value on the lives of citizens.

Ken Adejumoh writes from Lekki, Lagos.
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babekeny@gmail.com
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Beautiful write up. I am willing to take the risk but not illegal.