NOTABLE among those on ground to receive and ensure that Nigerians seeking safety from the Russia/Ukraine face-off into Romania settle in as comfortably as possible was Adeniyi Sanusi, Executive Director, Nigeria Diaspora 4040.
He and other well-meaning Nigerians like Adebayo Nurudeen, a lawyer and a post-graduate student and a few others, and officials of the Nigerian embassy, were at the border in Bucharest to receive the Nigerians.
According to Sanusi, who facilitated the interviews with some of the respondents in this piece by setting up a zoom meeting, even connecting this writer with the Deputy Ambassador, Mr Dayo Adeoye, who eventually facilitated an interview with the ambassador, a parent in Nigeria, had petitioned him to help look after his migrating children. That, couple with his mission in Nigeria Diaspora 4040, meant he couldn’t sit on the fence anyway.
The NGA Diaspora 4040, Sanusi told The Nation, was formed to replicate on a social entrepreneurship level, the work of NiDCOM (Nigeria in Diaspora commission) and the Nigerian Orientation Agency (NOA), with regards to Diaspora and what happens to Nigerias in the Disapora. So what we do is to create a platform where Nigerians in the Diaspora can actually communicate directly with Nigerians back home by telling stories. We have a journal that we are going to launch soon, in which we interviewed 40 Nigerians who have been living in Diaspora for 40 years, where they shared their experiences of what it means to live in the Diaspora. The reason for doing this is to make Nigerians see the realities of living abroad and the challenges.
“Our organisation is basically about goal number 10 of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2013 goal number 10.7.2., which is to facilitate regular and orderly migration,” he said.
According to Adebayo Nurudeen, who also spoke via Zoom, “I was one of the reps who was fortunate to be aware of their location and quickly went to welcome them, provide them with one or two things and make them feel at home. We also let the Nigerian authority in Bucharest to be aware of their presence in Romania.
“While I would not want to take away any credit due to The Nigeria I Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), I would however say that much of what has been done to settle in Nigerians here, has been due to the efforts of Nigerians living in Romania. They have done wonderfully well with the collaborative effort of the Nigerian Embassy here.”
Even though they did not expect the mammoth crowd that came in, Adebayor said they have managed well, even taking in other African citizens.