Curbing Maltreatment Of Nigerian Workers

In March last year, the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) urged the Federal Government to investigate the alleged maltreatment of some Nigerians working in some foreign-owned companies in the country.

Mr Clifford Thomas, the Chairman of the Akwa Ibom chapter of CLO, said that in light of the rising cases of the maltreatment of Nigerians working in such firms, such investigation was considered very imperative.

He cited the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) as one of the firms that was known for the gross violation of the rights of Nigerian workers.

He claimed that the perceptible violations included verbal insults as well as singling out and overworking specific individuals.

Thomas alleged that one man, Mr Emaeyak Edem, was beaten up by soldiers hired to protect CCECC employees at the behest of one employee for making inquires about how to secure a supply contract with the firm.

The CLO chief stressed that due to the fact that these foreign companies provided the much needed employment, people were often willing to overlook their aberrations regarding violation of the workers’ rights and work ethics.

While there are several allegations about the ill-treatment of Nigerians by foreign companies, the case against CCECC is not the norm.

There are other allegations regarding the misconduct of foreign companies, particularly with regard to how expatriate workers were being given preferential treatment in the workplace.

Besides, concerned observers note that there have been complaints about enhanced remuneration for the foreign workers, who are also given residential quarters and official cars, while they are often allowed to go on their annual leave at their convenience.

On the contrary, the Nigerian workers in these firms are not allowed to enjoy similar privileges, while they are often laid off impulsively and indiscriminately.

Analysts, however, contend that whenever specialists are brought into a country, their pay package should reflect their skills, while it should also take into cognizance the fact that they were now working in a completely different country.

Some of the analysts are, nonetheless, quick to point out that there are enough qualified citizens who can easily be trained to perform the jobs which most of these foreigners are brought in to do.

It is, however, commonplace to see expatriate workers dominate the high-level positions in most foreign-owned companies, while the Nigerian workers are relegated to perform menial tasks.

Nevertheless, that is not to suggest that the situation is peculiar to foreign companies alone, as there are instances where foreigners also receive preferential treatment in Nigerian-owned companies and schools.

Miss Joke Abiodun, a public relations (PR) practitioner, recalled that during a management training workshop, the participants expressed their disappointment when they learnt that the “highly skilled and experienced UK trainer’’ who was brought in for the programme was in fact a Nigerian living abroad and not a “white person’’.

She argued that their attitude reflected a kind of racial complex, “as they think that being black has no value”.

Abiodun stressed that children are inadvertently exposed to such notions when they were praised for being fair and mocked if they were too dark, adding that such children often grew up believing that lighter skin was more advantageous.

“You see people struggling to pay the fees for schools that are managed by a white principal, while there are other more affordable schools offering the same curriculum being run by black persons,” she said.

Besides, Abiodun said that many Nigerians often misjudged white people as wealthier and more prestigious persons, adding that they usually strive to take undue advantage of such persons.

“For instance, traders habitually believe that foreigners are more likely to pay for items above the normal market prices, while they are less likely to cause trouble whenever they are not given their full change.

“Personally, I have come to realise that only Nigerians, who have lived abroad or have once experienced racism, who harbour some resentment towards foreigners.

“They wonder why white people, who get preferred treatment in their home countries, also receive excellent treatment in Nigeria, while Nigerians, who undergo racism in other countries, do not get any special treatment at home,” she added.

Such comments tend to reinforce the need to curb the aberration of some foreign countries in Nigeria which maltreat their Nigerian workers.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is celebrated on March 21 every year.

Racial discrimination involves all the races – black and white – and it depends on who is making the allegation regarding the perceived discrimination.

For instance, in 2009, a group of four white South Africans and a mixed-race Namibian were refused passage to Bonny Island by a boat company in Rivers state in the Niger Delta area.

Claiming racism, the aggrieved persons took matters up with Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who apologised to them and persuaded the company to reverse their discriminatory policy.

The boat company explained that they took the action because of the compelling need to protect the lives of the boat passengers, as foreigners were often viewed as prime targets for miscreants who perpetrated kidnapping and extortion.

All the same, concerned observers insist that tangible efforts should be made to denounce all forms of racial discrimination in the country, be it in the workplace or in the larger society.

They also underscore the need to ensure that Nigerian and foreign workers are exposed to the same kind of treatment in foreign and local companies, devoid of any iota of discrimination.

Okeniyi writes for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Olayemi Okeniyi,