The recent Sky news investigative report on how some Nigerians who travelled to the United Kingdom with a promise of skilled jobs have become destitute  having been deceived by their agents, once again brings to the fore the prevalence of visa scam in Nigeria and the damage  they cause, not only to their victims but the nation as a whole. In the report, a particular Nigerian woman narrated how she paid £10,000 to an “agent” for a skilled worker visa on the promise of work in Britain, only to find out upon her arrival in the country about three months ago that the care job promised her did not exist.  In a bid to survive, she had become destitute, relying on food from food banks and even sleeping rough. “I’ve always provided for myself. I’m a very hard-working, diligent person. So, for me to be here depending on people to eat, coming to the food bank to get food isn’t ok with me. I do not feel happy about it. “It makes me feel like I’m less of a person. I should be in a position of helping not receiving aid because this is not who I was back in my country.” ‘It makes me feel as though I’m a fool”, she regretted.
Another woman was also deceived by an agent.  There in the UK, she has no job, no place to lay her head and now sleeps in a bus and depends on handouts from the food bank to survive. A family in the story; a husband, wife and child, was also in the same precarious situation. “It’s not been easy. I had to sell my car; sell my property, got a loan and took a lot of risk to raise money”, lamented the man.These are familiar stories, right?  People quit their jobs, sell their property – houses, cars and others, fold their businesses in order to relocate abroad in search of greener pastures.  I recently met a woman in her fifties, who travelled to Abuja from Lagos to undergo a six-month course in an organisation, which she claims will equip her for a care job overseas. At the end of the training, the organisation will help her secure a visa and a care job abroad and off she goes, she boasted.
All efforts to make her realise that at her age she should be needing help instead of the other way round and that if she should invest the money she would spend on “school” fees and other expenses she will incur in the course  of the training into a business in Nigeria, it will pay her more, fell on deaf ears. From time immemorial, Nigerians have been relocating to other countries, either in search of greener pastures or for other reasons. And it is within anybody’s right to live in whatever part of the world he chooses to. In present day Nigeria, there are various reasons why people should desire to japa. From the harsh economic realities to unending insecurity and high level of criminalities, to lack of basic amenities and poor infrastructure, to unstable politics and corruption, to unemployment, underemployment and many more. As the schools are about reopening, many parents are having sleepless nights because many schools have increased their school fees.
So, it makes a lot of sense for someone to consider migrating to countries where they are assured of free education, free health care system, good roads, uninterrupted power supply, government’s support after having a baby and better living conditions that will enhance one’s longevity. But must it be at such a high risk?  How many Nigerians that want to japa take their time to consider the challenges involved with migration, including legal and logistical obstacles, cultural adjustments, potential language barriers, and even exploitation in some cases? Or you just want to travel because others are doing so and you have been fed with the information that life outside Nigeria is so rosy and that you start plucking money as soon as you step into Europe, America and what have you? And out of desperation, you fall prey to some greedy visa scammers?
But seriously, it is high time the government did something about the issue of visa scamming in Nigeria. Not a few Nigerians have ugly tales to tell about their encounter with these scammers in the process of seeking visas to one country or the other. Some people were made to pay for a primetime appointment, premium lounge or flexi appointment for UK visa booking when in essence, the agent booked a standard appointment which costs less and takes a longer time. Some of these fraudsters pose as scholarship agents promising to guarantee a scholarship to study overseas. They urge potential applicants to pay money in return for support and guidance in filling a form and submitting a successful application and in the end the applicants find out that they have been scammed, no visa, no money. In some cases, the visa that will be issued is fake.
There must be a committed effort to address this challenge. This includes:  launching of educational campaigns to inform the public about common visa scams, warning signs, and red flags. Providing information on legitimate visa application processes and requirements through official channels. Promoting official Information Sources.  Ensuring that official government websites and embassies provide accurate and up-to-date information on visa processes, requirements, and fees. If a list of authorised visa agencies and consultants that individuals can refer to is maintained and made available to the public, it will go a long way in solving the problem. To achieve this, the government should partner with media outlets to raise awareness about visa scams and educate the public about avoiding such scams. The law enforcement agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police must up their game in dealing with these fraudsters.  More efforts should be made in the area of establishing easy-to-access channels for reporting suspected visa scams, encouraging victims to come forward and report incidents to aid in investigations and protecting people who would volunteer information about the scammers.
These anti-crime agencies must ensure that cases of visa fraud were thoroughly investigated and prosecuted and that individuals and groups found guilty of perpetrating visa scams were severely punished in accordance with the law. Online and social media monitoring is a must. The authorities should consider imposing stricter regulations and strict enforcement of licensing requirements for visa consultants, agents, and agencies so as to ensure transparency and ethical conduct. It is also imperative that the government should step up actions aimed at dissuading the citizens from leaving the country in droves. Let the leaders across the three tiers of government play down on amassing public funds for themselves and generations yet unborn and rather use these monies to rebuild the various sectors of our economy so that Nigeria will be a better place to live in. Other countries like India once faced a similar issue of brain drain but were able to conquer it by putting the nation and the people first. The Indian government offered an interest free loan to all medical professors in the diaspora to establish medical facilities in India. Incentives and a conducive working environment were also provided by the government. Today, India is a force to reckon with in the field of medicine.
Who says Nigeria cannot do better if corruption, embezzlement of public funds, crude oil theft are dealt with sincerely? Who says Nigeria, despite the global economic crisis, cannot be better if our leaders can reduce the cost of governance, deny themselves some unnecessary luxuries for the sake of a better future for the nation?  Who says Nigeria will not be better if the issues of insecurity, poor government policies, poor power supply which are driving investors away from Nigeria are sincerely addressed. It is also important that Nigerians desiring to travel abroad should make extra efforts to verify the authenticity of visa consultants and agencies before engaging their services so as to avoid stories that touch the heart.

By: Calista Ezeaku