Citizens of Africa’s Giant: Treated Like Ants Everywhere -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

In the past, Nigeria has played a big brother role in Africa, and it still does, as evident in its recent help to the Benin Republic’s government to regain power from those who overthrew the democratically elected president.

Nigeria has helped restore peace in many African countries, fought against apartheid in South Africa, and assisted several other African countries in gaining independence. This isn’t small feat. This earned Nigeria the moniker “Giant of Africa.” It’s still seen as a big brother by other African states due to its population and economy.

However, citizens of Nigeria, the Giant of Africa, are treated like ants almost everywhere in Africa and outside Africa. This is happening because the country ‘Nigeria’ no longer commands respect. Its leaders have become rulers instead of leaders. Patriotism has fallen victim and been slaughtered. The political class (or if you like, the ruling class) has slaughtered patriotism on the altar of self-aggrandizement. They’re hardly driven by the spirit of patriotism.

The citizens aren’t different in this regard. Often, citizens mirror the character of their rulers. When the head is rotten, no other part of the body is expected to be healthy.

Nigerians are humiliated everywhere. Many are literally slaves in foreign lands and prefer slavery in places like the United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, or Iraq over living freely in Nigeria – because it pays to be a slave abroad rather than a graduate at home (in Nigeria).

I wrote a column on January 26th, 2025, titled “What are Our Women Doing in Iraq?” where I bemoaned the staggering number of Nigerian women stranded in Iraq – about five thousand of them.

In that column, I also recounted the case of a Nigerian lady who sleeps with 20 to 25 men every day in Libya. She left Nigeria not to be a prostitute but inadvertently became one. This highlights that prostitution has different levels. And for Nigerians, it’s often the lowest of the low. These Nigerians fled from humiliating poverty in Nigeria only to be reduced to being treated like domestic beasts in other countries.

Nigeria has been a refuge for many Africans in the past. Displaced Africans from various countries would look to Nigeria in times of crisis – economic or otherwise. The famous ‘Ghana Must Go’ campaign, when Ghanaians flooded Nigerian streets, is a good reference point.

History seems to have repeated itself, but in a reciprocal and reversed manner. Then, Ghanaians were the victims who had to leave Nigeria. Now, citizens of the “Giant of Africa”  are the victims who must leave Ghana and other countries because they’re not needed. They are weeds — unwanted plants.

Last year, protests erupted in Ghana, with some citizens demanding the deportation of Nigerians, citing concerns over crime, prostitution, and job competition. Ghanaian authorities deported Nigerians without qualm, with 42 individuals sent back in December 2025 for offenses like prostitution and fraud.

Sadly, Nigerians aren’t needed in many African countries that should ordinarily be in awe when Nigeria is mentioned or Nigerians are present.

Why am I writing this column, and why did I title it ‘Citizens of Africa’s Giant: Treated Like Ants Everywhere’? It’s a painful reaction to a recent humiliating deportation of Nigerians from Niger Republic.

Can anyone imagine that? I can’t imagine it. But my ability or inability to imagine it is useless and irrelevant. It’s happening right before our eyes. We read it, we heard it, and we saw it. No fewer than 800 Nigerian deportees were reportedly received from Niger Republic in Katsina State by security agencies.

They were deported from Niger Republic due to immigration enforcement measures, which observers note could be tied to Niger’s recent withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and its efforts to ensure stricter border controls.

Even with Niger’s withdrawal from ECOWAS, can it be imagined that it (Niger) would have the audacity to embark on massive deportation of Nigerians from its territory? Sadly, our forests in Nigeria (and maybe our borders too) are under the control of bandits. Some of these bandits reportedly migrated from Niger Republic. While Niger Republic strands and deports Nigerians on legitimate business trips, the Nigerian government is holding peace talks with bandits from Niger Republic. The irony itself ironical — the irony is stark.

For instance, a legitimate Nigerian trader told PUNCH newspapers: “I believe there is a move to abolish the ECOWAS passport as a means of traveling here; they have started harassing us if we are entering the country. Some of our people are being turned back home. We learned that there is a new passport being issued now to everyone coming to Niger Republic to replace the old ECOWAS passport.”

Driven by stricter immigration policies globally, Nigerians are increasingly being deported from multiple countries. One of the ‘achievements’ of the diplomatic engagement during President Tinubu’s state visit to the UK – the first in 37 years – is the agreement to ease the deportation of failed Nigerian asylum seekers and convicted offenders.

According to data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), at least 974 Nigerians are currently facing deportation from Canada. Similarly, Trump’s United States doesn’t spare Nigerians from deportation. The last time some Nigerians were deported from the United States, they were handed over to Ghanaian authorities. Isn’t this humiliating?

Speaking with Daily Trust on Thursday, the media aide to Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, wondered why the US had deported Nigerians through Ghana when there was an agreement between Nigeria and the US regarding the deportation of Nigerians. I wonder why Abdulkadir was surprised. Perhaps he forgot that, to Trump, Nigeria is considered a “shithole” country. Ghana, on the other hand, to Trump, is a more acceptable deportation destination for unwanted Nigerians from the US.

From the foregoing, it’s obvious that Nigeria has lost its giant status and is now treated like a “gi(ant)” as its citizens continue to be treated as ants.

Though I know, I was curious to know more about people’s attitudes towards ants, so I asked Artificial Intelligence. Here’s the answer I got: “People often view ants as pests and treat them with disdain or indifference. Common attitudes include squashing or killing them when they invade homes or spaces, ignoring them until they become a nuisance, using pesticides or traps to eliminate them, and viewing them as insignificant or annoying creatures.”

This is exactly the treatment many Nigerians receive from host countries (though our condition isn’t any better even in Nigeria).

Can we regain that past and lost glory? Yes, we can. In some cultures, I also learned, ants are seen as symbols of industry and teamwork, earning respect.

I conclude that, though treated as ants, we can earn respect by working together to make Nigeria great again. But we need patriotic leaders and followers (citizens)– not rulers, dictators, and sycophants.

However, with Tinubu’s Nigeria collapsing into a one-party ‘democratic’ state where opposition is being strategically obliterated and patriotic acts are rare and strange, I struggle to hope. Except we join efforts to rescue Nigeria, we might always be despised ants. May God help Nigeria.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com