One man's story of Nigeria...

I walked into this little café, called New Generation, tucked away into a street corner in Letterkenny. There was a buzz in there, and surprise when I, a white person, entered. It stocks staple foods from African countries, and is a gathering and meeting place for African refugees and asylum seekers. Internet facilities are the next thing on the agenda. The owner is a soft-spoken Nigerian called Femi, who obligingly gave me an impromptu interview in the back room. Drawing up two hard-back chairs, we sat opposite each other while this burly, warm man gestured his way through his story.

My name is Bola Femi Daniel, as in Daniel O’Donnell! (It is traditional in Nigeria to put the surname first.) I grew up in Nigeria, in a town called Kaduna. Life was fantastic except for crisis every time, religious riots. I’m the fourth of eight children. My father worked in the Ministry of Agriculture. My mother was at home, bringing up the family. I went to primary school at the age of six. In Nigeria, you have to be able to touch your left ear with your right arm over your head before you can go to school. At first I couldn’t do it, and had to wait. But finally I got to school! I did well there, went to secondary school, then to the Polytechnic where I took a diploma in mass communications. Then I went for a work attachment to a communications company called ABG. The company manager liked me, and I worked up to assistant manager.

What was life like in general for a young guy growing up?

Life there was very good, but everyone there is very much under the control of their parents and elders. Do you know that at my age now, if I mess up, my mother can smack me? And I am 31! We are smacked whenever we do anything wrong. It could be anyone; it could be our neighbour, anybody who is around to correct your behaviour. So there is no freedom. Life is very good though, because when you know what you are doing, you can focus on your dream of what you want to do in your life. Parents always dream of their children doing something good. I think there’s a big rivalry in the community. This man wants his child to do the best. Everybody wants their children to do the best. If you don’t do very well, it’s very difficult to proceed to the next level. So at every level, you have to do very, very well. Or if you are lucky to come from a well to do family, you can have everything. But if you come from a poor family, you have to struggle and work hard.


Was your father seen as a success?

Yes, he had a good job, but not really the best, because the only really successful people in the community were the politicians. They get money they have influence. But when you work in the ministry, you can work for four months, unpaid! So life could be very difficult. But in politics, you can always embezzle!

Where I come from, our rate of civilisation is very low compared to the way it is here. You cannot see a young boy moving on the street with a young girl and kiss her on the lips. That would be seen as an abomination. But I find the way people drink here a big shock. Women don’t go to beer parlours there, or smoke on the street, or wear jeans. It’s an abomination. They call these women harlots. But it’s not like that here. Do you know if a woman wore trousers, she would be seen as a bad woman. But here, it’s a different culture. It all has to do with culture. Women there wear wraparounds, but in big cities now, they wear trousers. Cultures are mixing.

I was raised with religious influences, so I feel that a woman has to go along with the wishes of her husband. Whatever her husband wants you to look like, that is the best for you. I am pastor at the church here in Letterkenny, at the Cliwon Sanctuary of Praise on the Port Road and I always say to the women that you have to try to satisfy your husband.

Tell me about courting customs in Nigeria.

There are different customs. The Muslim group in the northern part, if you have a baby now, you can say to your husband, I want our baby to marry this one. In that northern culture, a lady can get married before the age of 12. The parents make the arrangements. They can bring their daughter to a man as a gift. They use it as a sign of friendship. Muslim men can have up to four wives and they can have five concubines as well. But in the culture, the four wives are the real wives, but the other women, they can sleep with them in the afternoon, but not at night. That’s what the culture allows. There are three different kinds of tribes in Nigeria. If you are from the Yoruba tribe and you are a Christian, you are only allowed to marry one wife, but custom allows you to marry two or three. In that part of the world, they treat women as a second-class citizen. They are just household possessions. They have nothing to say. So that’s what men like to do. The women prepare the food, and have babies for the man, that’s all. The man has to supply everything in the house. I am Yoruba, from that tribe, but I was brought up in a modern culture. We live our life in the northern part.

There’s another tribe called Yibo in the eastern part. They are the most enterprising in Nigeria. If a man from the Yibo culture wants to marry a girl who is educated, he has to pay a lot of money, a bride price. Why their tribe is so good is, if the man pays for the woman, if she leaves the man, she has to pay him back. So that’s the eastern tribe.

The city is full of different cultures, just like Dublin. In the city, even now, a man will approach a lady and ask her out, like in the western culture.

When I was in school, I used to have a girlfriend, but when I left home, we lost contact for a long time. Now I don’t know where she is. Here, I’ve tried to keep to myself for the time being. I don’t go to pubs or socialise at all. It’s strange, but I just occupy myself with doing things every time.

What is the worst thing that happened to you in Nigeria?

The rioting, in the year 2000. That riot made me sick, because I could see how human beings could slaughter people like a goat or chicken. People have no respect for human life, and it made me sick. And when you see a whole family dropped into a well and covered up, it’s unbelievable. I was about 24 then. Many people were killed. It was terrible. Not less than 7 000 people were dying. It was like the Irish peace process. Today there’s peace, tomorrow there’s trouble. That’s how it is in Nigeria.

Femi’s career in Nigeria was just getting established when this rioting crowd of Muslims converged in his neighbourhood. Femi, who was close to the family that had been plunged down the well, felt he had to take action. Already a religious leader in his community, he called his people together.

I said look we have to defend ourselves. We must arm ourselves, bomb up some mosques. They take our people, we take their mosques. The Muslims knew I was popular, that people were following my ideas, so now they wanted to come and get me at my house.

They came to the house in the night, calling my name. They wanted to cut my head off. So my father woke me up and we ran out of the house.

We went to some people and they gave me a passport. From there I came to France, and I can’t understand what they are saying. So I think, I’ll go to England because they speak English. Then somebody said don’t go to England, go to Ireland. They speak English there too. I’d never heard of Ireland. I looked it up, and saw that Ireland was at the extreme edge of the world! So we came to Rosslare.

How did it go when you arrived?

Oh it went well. When I came I was afraid because I had no travel documents. But the first thing they did was they fed me. I was hungry, and the first thing they did was care for me, to keep my mind calm. They fed me very well. Then I had a rest. I was thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’ and they said, ‘don’t worry.’ This was in Rosslare. There were about five Romanians with me. Later they took us in a bus to a BB house. They took care of us. When I got to Dublin the following week, they sent me to Donegal town. While we were coming to Donegal town, in the hostel where they keep us, people were saying if we were going up to that side of the country, they were going to kill us. The owners of the hostel, they were Irish people, said it was terrible. They said it was close to Northern Ireland. So I was afraid when we came to Donegal town, back to more troubles. But when we got there, it was good.

So it’s not too scary, living so close to the North?

Not at all! I always go to Derry for shopping. I also have a pastor friend there, who has a Presbyterian church. I went for a programme in Northern Ireland and I met this missionary from Nigeria, an Irishman. He introduced himself to me, and I told him I’ve never heard from my parents and he took my number and promised to get in touch with them. So he went back in a year, looked for my people, gave me a call after speaking to the pastor of my church and that’s how I got in touch with my family again. And they are alright. They have all moved together.

The pastor said if I want to help any of them to come, he will help me. But they are still at school, and I want them to finish their school. He’s a good friend of mine, this pastor. His name is Watson.

How long did it take for you to get asylum?

About 18 months

Why did you move from Donegal Town to Letterkenny?

I never wanted to leave. In fact I still work in Donegal Town, at night. I was looking for a house and couldn’t get accommodation. Everyone was trying to find accommodation for me. So that’s why I had to come here.

What work do you do there?

I work as a receptionist, in the hostel where I first stayed. I have a good relationship with the manager there.

And otherwise you have this shop. Tell me how this got started, and how it’s going.

Well, it’s going good. It’s called New Generation and the idea is to supply
foods from Africa, and also to set up an internet café.

Where are you importing food from?

I get most of it from Dublin. There are people who import food from Africa, and they have warehouses. I stock dresses too, local dresses from my country.

Did you get funding?

No. They said because I’m not unemployed, they can’t help me. People who don’t work at all, they get money, but if you are trying to get up yourself, there is no help. But I like to do things on my own. I’m trying to get a bookkeeper. I keep phoning people, and they say, ‘we’ll get back to you,’ but they never do. I think when they hear a black person on the phone, they don’t want to do business with me. That’s what I feel. But already I’m busy now. It’s kind of difficult. Now somebody has given me the name of one. He’s in Donegal town and I’m going to meet him tomorrow. But, apart from that, it’s OK. When you start a business, it’s always difficult.

And on Sundays, you’re a pastor?

Yes! Some days we have fifty or sixty people. We have people from Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. Religion is strong in Africa, and it can bring people together.

The best attributes of a Nigerian are prayer. And you see people go to church or mosque, or wherever they go, to pray every time. Sometimes they have all-night vigils, from 10pm at night to 4 am in the morning. But at the same time, everybody is fighting under the name of religion, even when they have political motivation. They hide it under religion. I try to teach that religion belongs to God, and God is one, so why are we fighting? Everybody thinks, ‘my religion is the best.’ In our country, I would say Muslims are 50%, and the rest are Christians.

In Nigeria, there’s democracy in name, but not in fact. It’s the same in almost all the African countries. People in power always want to keep the power. And when they want to leave, they want their children or their family to carry on. That’s the problem. And I find it unbelievable that the Western World always say they want to help Africa eradicate poverty, whereas in a certain way, they cause the poverty.

How do they cause it?

Nigeria is wealthy. Nigeria has natural resources. We have crude oil. We can get money to finance everything. But yet, we don’t have. In Nigeria we have to queue for petrol, because they export the crude oil to other countries, then they take the money to Sweden, America. And the Western World take it from them. Where money is in circulation, there will be development. But the money is coming to the West.

Interesting point!

How do you find life in Ireland? Was it difficult to adapt to such a different culture?

No. I have really adjusted. Initially, the cold was always stopping me, but now I’m very happy with the whole thing. It is my home away from home. I do miss people from home, but I’m happy, every time. I have not experienced any racist treatment. I used to work in the courtyard before as a security guard and when the students came and stood around by the well, it was our job to move them from the well. So at times, when I was trying to move them they say, ‘oh you’re just black’, but that was because they just like to say something. And when they say that, I say, ’oh! OK so ‘ and we laugh at it. Nothing riles me. And they did move. And now they greet me when they see me.

Have you been to any other European countries?

I’ve been to England and Holland. I find Holland experience very, very good. Because everywhere you go, you see trams. So you don’t need a car. You see all of them riding on bicycles! It’s great! Yeah! Because here it’s always difficult when you have a car, for insurance. I bought a car for €400, but I had to insure it for €2 500! Why? Because I have no experience on Irish roads. But I’ve been driving in my country for years!

What do you miss about home?

I would say before I used to miss the food. But now I can get some of it. Again, the beautiful weather I miss. And again, I find I miss the language. Because when you speak your own language you are yourself. But here I have to speak a foreign language. I wish I would be able to speak Irish. I would love it more than speaking English. I miss the language.

Do you think sometime in the future you’ll get married?

Yes, it’s on my agenda to get married and have a family!

Will it be an arranged marriage, or will you marry for love?

I will marry for love.

A Nigerian?

Anybody who comes along! Irish, German. You can find love anywhere.

Are there many Nigerians in Letterkenny?

Yes, there are many. We have an organisation for non-nationals. And the group of Nigerians would be more than 300. And non-nationals would be up to 1 000, including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Sudan, Pakistan, Indian, South Africa, Iraq, Iran. A lot are professionals on contract here. On one night we have an Irish night. If you want to meet Irish people this is the night you come. We want to have nights like this more often.

If you were to think of four aspects about Ireland that you would criticise, what would they be?

Drink. The drinking culture is getting worse, day by day. I always talk to young ones, and some young ones coming up, aged 14, they can’t wait to get to 16 when they can get away with drinking. It’s always, ‘I need to drink.’

Then, religious aspects. Where I come from, it was Irish people who brought Christianity to Africa and up to now you see a lot of Irish. The way they treat religion here is amazing. They only care about their business, their work, and their drinking. I begin to wonder if the economic boom, people are so comfortable, they have forgotten about God. They think they don’t need God. But when we have a problem, we run back to God. So even though it was Irish who brought Christianity to Africa, now it is Africans bringing God back to Ireland.

Then there is the attitude to education. The way people get educated here is not the way we get educated back home. Here, the young ones can’t wait to finish school, to start working, to get money. They don’t care about becoming a doctor or whatever. Look at the hospitals in Ireland. 80% of the doctors are foreign! I think it’s not geared for the future. They need more time to equip themselves with good quality education. Where I come from, it’s not like that. We think long term. Here, even the attitude to credit, it’s for the short term.

How many students go on to university or college in Nigeria, would you say?


I would say 75% of students go on to college. And the other 25% would stop only because they can’t afford it. Because everybody want to be in this place in society, and the only way to this place is through education.

So you’ve mentioned three points. Anything else?

Number 4, I think the rate of development is not keeping up with population growth. Like in Letterkenny – I can’t believe there is still no rail! You have to sit on a bus for four hours! There is separation not just of distance, but of communication between small towns and the seat of power. If you want to do anything, you have to go to Dublin. Now I think they are trying to decentralise, and things might change.

I want to say this: Irish people should give foreigners a chance. It’s always foreigners that develop a country. Irish people developed America; Irish people developed England. If you go to England, you still see foreigners developing Britain. People coming to Ireland - let them develop the country.

***
There are over 250 different peoples, languages, histories, and religions in Nigeria. When oil prices shot through the roof in the seventies, this ‘hectic and often volatile republic looked set to become prosperous, but perversely managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Its history is littered with oppressive dictators, massacres, bloody civil wars, human rights abuses, and horrific famines.’ *

Following almost 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999. It is now a country struggling to contain the sum of its parts within a democratic framework. Despite some irregularities, the April 2003 elections marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history. President Obasanjo now faces the daunting task of rebuilding a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement. A chronic crime problem, large-scale unemployment and overcrowding in poor living conditions, in addition to longstanding ethnic and religious tensions must all be tackled, if the Nigerian government is to build a sound foundation for economic growth and political stability.

* Source: Lonely Planet (website)