One thing is pertinent
on the eligibility status of those who should have the franchise right to vote
and be voted for all over the world, which is those with the status of birth
from the origin of any given country
where every other consideration came’s along
with it, aligning varying policy,
depending on how such country deems it
fit and worthy before satisfying
those requirements for the issuance of citizenship status
for foreign national the country
so desires before any individual can be able to participate in every
activities that include franchise rights.
But going by the recent
election that took place in Ojo local
government, specifically in okokomaiko, a Lagos suburb, one wonders if such policy is not obtainable or whether the countries immigration has never sees it as what is against the best practice
and as part of the enforceable
immigration laws of the land.
There are three major
reasons of concern about the immigrant’s issue that form the major thrust of
this reports. In the course of putting
my journalistic instinct to play during the electioneering process that took
place when the presidential, senate and the house representatives’ elections
was going on in the said environment I found my self.
First, large
proportions of temporary residents of
aliens that troop out to vote in various polling units within the
settlement that engulfed in a protest by
the other parties that were in disagreement with
the whole idea where they
alleged foul play by other rival
party which lead to protest, and where
Some of those residents also claimed
they have so many of them that
are temporary residents and have made their selfs bonafide
citizens all –of –a -sudden, contributing to the lingering security threats that is still affecting them, and are
used sometimes by rival party to manipulates results.
Second, the contention
of whether some of them had the right through other statutory policies of
government to have grant them citizenship status and the other question of the
absence of immigration officers in that location who should have helped to
identify those with verifiable and authentic status and for its immigration
officials to help weed out those with falsifications of status, that are
causing discrepancies during the electioneering process.
Checks indicates also, that larger proportion of those alien
had been residence in that community for decades and still are not having any
required residential permit as prerequisite that would have enable them
the right to franchise as the
case may be or whether there are other
status which would have given them such
opportunity where its immigration in
these case, that suppose to identify and authenticate their status as regards
there franchise are not handy to help
purify the whole process, to which has caused more harm than good during the electioneering process.
This harrowing
experience shows that neither the aliens nor those inhabitants know how to
manage the whole challenges befalling them, from the foregoing however, many
believe government still, is expected to shoulder the option of sending
immigration officers to those area at the instance of distress call to nip such
situation on it feet as the time of filling this report.
Third this issue had
attracted so much negative evaluations at the slightest provocation of some
section of the divide, and where those who are perceived to be the real
inhabitants have become the butt of jokes to the aliens.
This is particularly so,
when observed from the situation on the ground especially in the time when the
election were going on, and where the other side of the divide was alleged to
have been carrying some of those aliens to all campaign location, accordingly,
making them feel like its is indeed their right and responsibility to vote as
aliens and be voted for.
One of the inhabitants,
Mr. Sule komolafe said, intimidation of various kinds coming from those aliens
is now seen as legitimate against the true owners of this environment who never seen anything dangerous in what
ever their action were. He said
those among us who are citizens,
but encourage them are never mindful of
its implication, but instead, are very much interested on its
political gain and are less concerned about other implication it might had cause some of their
people. The real inhabitants had continued to be under siege.
Komolafe, continuing,
‘’this issue had been on social media outlets, all of which are global
platform, this further exposing the countries leadership to global riddle. Only
in Nigeria, where immigration issues are often played with leap service and our
policy makers are not ready to move an inch. When international republican
institute, Mr. Omoruyi Aigbe, an election observer in Ojo local government saw
the situation and its trend, he said every action relating to these issue
of aliens right to vote must be trade
with caution since its involved national image.
He said all these while,
least attention had been given on how to resolve these impasse and allow for
peaceful coexistence among those immigrants and the indigents where
numbers of commentators have either dismissed their permanent stay as
redundant or that it poses security risk
,having been observed by the citizens them self's that majority of them do not
have any handy work to engage in, while other had been busy questioning those that engage them to became partisan all
-of a-sudden ,in another country to which they stands as immigrants as against its
constitutionality.
Omoruyi said ‘’I do not
share either of there sentiments, rather, the Nigerian immigration should up
their task first to have an up to date data of every entry immigrant from its
boarders, if you must know, Nigeria Benin boarder is few kilometer to this
destination, the influx of emigration from our boarders remains porous and that
can not be far fetched on the persistence trend of insurgence with other
states with inter boarder management in
the country that is experiencing all forms of security breach. ‘’Our laws are
very clear as to who can become Nigerian citizen. ‘’
The place of birth,
where residence whose immigrant status is still valid as at the time of entry
can only claim temporary residence and with fool restriction to franchise right
of that country as’ ‘’they are immigrants’’ those in the marital engagement has
the right of automatic citizenship of such status whilst those whose residence
had long been in existence without any form of blemish record can also be
recommended to the president for approval.
But in these case,
majority of those residing in Ojo local government do not have good grasp of
what was required before engaging aliens and those aliens also do not know
where their limitation ends.
‘’The immigration
officers are still not helping in the area of sensitization and adherence
to its policies in other to curtain
these lingering issues, that is making some of these aliens feel its their rights to vote and be voted for. On
the other hand, he said some of the citizens are also very interested in engaging
them for their economic gain not minding other implication that surrounds it.
‘’The question he raised
is; how do we ensure that adequate measures are taken as well, and where
situation of this nature is nipped in its face,’’ until our immigration
function and enforcement policies become excellent in ensuring strictness of
its boarders and up its data, not until then, those immigrants would not
understand the terrain better compared to their permanent place of birth. ‘’
They will not have good understanding of what is there
reason for coming to another land, unlike the way they are seeing it as there
rights and where those inhabitant as-well, do not have good understanding, the
implication of engaging aliens in the electioneering process of their country
where they will have lesser interest on what they stand to gain other that what
their laws stipulates when its comes to function and the responsibility of
immigrants, he reintegrated that every
sensitization made would help in disseminating the stand of the country’s
constitution to those with temporary residential status , ‘
’making every body
understanding their role and responsibility as temporary residence and citizens
of the country.’’ For instance, it was discovered that majority of those alien
speak Hausa, and where one particular side of Nigeria as country speaks the
language, this make many here at present to believe that for every
body who
speaks such language is from the northern part of their country, forgotten
that majority of Nigerian neighboring country speaks the same dialect,
making it a bit more cumbersome for
the southerner here to
distinguish between those that actually came from other countries as foreign - immigrants with temporary
residential status with those from the northern part of it country.
‘’Even the policy of
economic community of West African states though did not restrict movements but
there is clearly more distinction on every purpose of emigrating which usually
falls under temporary residence with clear definition of movement from one
origin to destination.
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