Nigerian Boko Haram victim deported from Iceland

As Eze sat in the pews at a church where he goes most mornings to pray, his phone buzzed with a new message. His Icelandic teacher was checking in on him, giving him support.

A calm and composed man, Eze began to cry, the emotion intensifying as he continued to read. His friends in Iceland were standing with him, the message said, they would fight for him.

Eze Okafor, 32, had been living in Iceland for the last four years, working as a cook in a local restaurant, learning the Icelandic language, building a community.

"Iceland is my home now. I have contributed to the society here. Many people know me. My friends have become my family," he told Al Jazeera.

Eze fled Nigera after being targeted by Boko Haram. In 2010, he and his younger brother, Okwy, were attacked in retaliation for not joining the armed group. "They tried to recruit me, but I refused."

Members of Boko Haram stormed their house in Maiduguri, Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria. Eze was stabbed in the head and face. Okwy was killed.

Soon after, Eze fled Nigeria and made a long and dangerous boat journey to Europe, where in 2011 he sought asylum in Sweden. He told his story and showed his still fresh and infected wounds, including the gash over his eye, which he feared would cost him his eyesight. He was denied asylum and made his way to Iceland.

He applied for asylum in Iceland in 2012 but was denied.

He has been working with a lawyer, Katrin Theodorsdottir, who then applied for permission for Eze to stay in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, as his case has slowly made its way through the system. Eze said in October he was given temporary residency and could work.

His case in Iceland has hinged on what time limit is relevant to his asylum request, as defined by Article 19 of the Dublin Regulation, which determines which EU member state is responsible for asylum seekers.

Article 19 lays out a timeframe of six months within which an asylum seeker must be sent back to the country where they were originally asking for asylum, otherwise the current country is responsible for processing their asylum case.

After many rejections, appeals and back and forths between various immigration authorities, Theodorsdottir said there was a "twist". A special immigration committee reviewing Eze's case said the time limit to send Eze back to Sweden might have expired, and advised him to go to the immigration office and have his application for asylum processed.

Eze went to the immigration office as instructed to pick up the paperwork, and was told to wait 45 minutes, which he did. According to Theodorsdottir, unbeknownst to him, the police officer was calling the immigration office. And then another twist.

"The police said I should come to sign and all of a sudden they took me into custody. They arrested me. I spent the night in jail," Eze recalled.

"They next morning they said they were deporting me. I said I should go and get my stuff from my house. They said no. They took me to the airport and manhandled me.

"In Iceland, I have been integrated into society, with so many friends. A lot of people know me. So when the police was beating me, when I was arrested, there was a lot of reaction."

Early on May 26, Eze was put handcuffed onto a plane for deportation. Two members of the rights group No Borders Iceland boarded the plane and stood up in protest, asking other passengers to stand up as well to protest Eze's deportation. After about 10 minutes, they were arrested by Iceland's police.

He was taken to Stockholm. At the airport, he thought the Icelandic authorities would give him back the only ID he had - his Nigerian driver's license. They took it back to Iceland. He was handed papers by the Swedish immigration authorities, which gave him until June 1 to leave Sweden or be deported back to Nigeria.

He was also given a piece of paper saying he had no right to financial assistance. Without money or any identification, he was turned out onto the street where he spent the first night.

Boko Haram is an ongoing threat in Nigeria with members and supporters, Eze said, at all levels of government and the police. Several years ago, members of Boko Haram kidnapped his mother in what Eze said was a bid to force him to return to Nigeria. After brutalising her - including an attack to her face that compromised her eyesight - the kidnappers demanded a ransom.

"What I am facing in Nigeria is that this Islamic group is after my life. My life is in danger."

He said he believes that when he lands at the airport in Nigeria he fears he will be apprehended by the police. "Boko Haram has a network. They have been looking for me since then."

Today, Eze is uncertain about his future. His does know one thing for sure. If he were to return to Nigeria, he believes it would mean death for him.

With his friends, he is working hard to find a lawyer who could take his case in Sweden. His dream is to return to his home in Iceland.

Theodorsdottir said there is something the immigration office could do. She has requested that he be granted permission to live in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, a request that is still pending.

Eze said his mother, Celina, taught him how to cook at an early age and it is his passion. He loved working in the restaurant in Iceland and had a good relationship with his boss. He loves to cook Nigerian food. Maybe, he said, once he is back in Iceland, and his life has found balance again, he could pursue a dream. There is no Nigerian restaurant in Iceland.

"Maybe one day, when I am back in Iceland, I could open a restaurant", Eze said, smiling.

"When I was in handcuffs on my way to Sweden, I was pleading with them," Eze said. "I am not a criminal. I did not commit any crime. I am asking for refuge. They should treat me like a human."

Aljazeera

5 ways floatation of the Naira will affect Nigeria

Nigeria is allowing its struggling currency, the naira, to trade freely in a move to tackle the financial crisis in Africa's most populous nation. Financial blogger Feyi Fawehinmi looks at how it will affect people's lives.

1. Petrol prices will remain stable

Refined petrol is Nigeria's single biggest import. The story of how an oil exporting nation has to import almost all of its refined products is well told.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, refined petrol imports in the first three months of 2016 amounted to 226bn naira ($1.1bn, £791m) or 15.6% of the total imports.

Last month, petrol subsidies were removed and a new price band of 130 naira to 145 naira per litre was recommended by the government.

This new price assumed an exchange rate of 285 naira to $1, compared to the official rate of 199 naira to $1.

Remarkably, Nigerians took this price rise with no more than a shrug and the attempt by labour unions to force a price reversal with strikes flopped spectacularly.

In the short term, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is likely to continue to be the main supplier of dollars to the market until foreign investors return.

With one eye on the petrol price, it is likely to kick start the market at a rate that keeps petrol prices stable i.e. somewhere below 285 naira to $1.

2. Still no imported tomatoes, rice - or tooth picks

In June last year, the CBN came up with a now infamous list of 41 items that would no longer be eligible for foreign exchange from official sources.

Items on the list ranged from Indian incense to private jets. Importing those items were not actually banned so since the list came into effect, anyone who wanted to import them had to source foreign exchange from the black market.

The CBN said last week that those 41 items remain ineligible to access forex at the new interbank market.

You can still import toothpicks but you will have to source dollars from the black market to do so.

Based on this, prices of those items are unlikely to be affected. This is a shame because Nigeria could do with some tomato imports right now after the tuta absoluta pest devastated harvests in northern Nigeria.

Allowing rice imports wouldn't be a bad idea either given how rice prices have spiked in recent times.

Rice importation has always worked on a quota system - those with political connections usually getting the right to import it. The current policy restricting the imports is tied to goals of national pride in achieving self-sufficiency. Given this, it is unlikely to be lifted.

Not everyone is unhappy about this list, though.

The Nigerian palm oil producing company, Okomu Oil, posted a 98% increase in profits for 2015. Palm is of course on the list of 41 ineligible items.

3. Inflation should eventually fall

Latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that inflation is rising steadily in Nigeria. Given how Nigeria is dependent on imports for a lot of basic items, a floating currency is likely to further increase prices, at least in the short-term.

In reality, however, the policy of rationing foreign exchange in the last one year meant that those who needed it the most hardly ever got it.

As such, even as the official rate remained stable at 199 naira to $1, prices of imported everyday goods have been reflecting black market exchange rates for a while now.

Nigerians have already endured the equivalent of a gut punch from soaring prices and are unlikely to be in the mood for any more.

Further price increases might just force consumers to eliminate demand for some products altogether. A more stable and open foreign exchange regime should also eliminate a lot of the uncertainty that has been pushing up prices.

Given what has already happened in the last year, a floating naira, somewhat counter-intuitively, can be expected to start bringing down inflation.

4. Bad news for banks and businesses with forex loans

The CBN says that 10.1% of all the loans in Nigeria's banking system have gone bad. A lot of these loans are foreign currency loans extended to local oil and gas companies when crude oil prices were $100 per barrel.

Between 2012 and 2014, an estimated $10bn was lent to local oil companies to purchase assets from foreign oil majors.

Once the naira starts to float, banks will have to adjust the value of these loans on their books. In turn, the increased burden on the borrowers is likely to push more of them into bad loan territory.

A couple of weeks ago, the Nigerian government bizarrely asked banks to stop sacking workers. More bad loans will almost certainly trigger more sackings.

It remains to be seen how the government will react to more sackings if and when they happen. Or perhaps the banks will use it as a bargaining tool to extract another round of bailouts from the government.

5. Foreign airlines will be back in business

Another effect of rationing foreign currency in the past year is that it has allowed a backlog of unmet demand for forex to steadily build up.

The CBN says this backlog is now at $4bn and will take four weeks to clear. Others say the backlog is at least double that amount.

Included in that backlog is the $600m owed to foreign airlines which has caused a number of them to either stop serving Nigeria entirely or put the route under review.

If nothing else, this has been embarrassing for Nigeria and has drawn unflattering comparisons with Venezuela. Once that backlog is cleared, foreign airlines should continue their business as normal.

Of course, trapped funds are not their only worry - the economic situation has done its bit to dampen demand for foreign travel by Nigerians. Still, solving one of two problems is not a bad deal.
The verdict?

Ultimately, Nigerians have reason to hope that the worst of the last year is now over.

With a floating exchange rate, foreign investors can have more confidence in the country and Nigeria should see an uptick in the foreign investments it so desperately needs.

BBC

Niger Delta Avengers set tough conditions for negotiation with Nigerian government

Niger Delta Avenger militants have set stringent conditions for tripartite negotiations to begin contrary to claims by government that talks are already underway. Nigeria's crude oil exports are nearing 30 years low, as militants attacked more oil installations in the Niger Delta.

President Buhari returns from medical trip today

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected back to Nigeria today from London.

Buhari had two weeks ago embarked on a 10-day trip for medical treatment.

The Presidency had, in a statement, said the President would during the visit to the United Kingdom, see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist for a persistent ear infection.

The 10-day holiday ended on Wednesday.

An insider hinted Punch that arrangements had been put in place to receive the President, who is due back in the country on Thursday.

“He is expected back on Thursday (today). We are in touch with him. As of today (Wednesday), we have not been told that there is any change in arrangement,” the source said.

Recall that the presidency had on Monday, released photographs of the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Revd, Justin Welby, to Buhari in London.

Daily Post

Minister of Petroleum says Job creation will end pipeline vandalism in Nigeria

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, and Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has stated that Nigeria would not totally eradicate pipeline vandalism without creating an enabling environment that will empower militants in the Niger Delta.

Kachikwu, who made this disclosure in Uyon, the Akwa Ibom State capital, noted that with the array of pipeline bombings by the Nigerian Delta Avengers, NDA, it would take nothing less than 15 to 20 years to get infrastructure in the oil sector working.

According to him, “Modular refineries are going to be the answer to our problems in the future. We talk about the militants and their agitations; the reality is that until we begin to put things in place that would have these so called ‘militants’ find opportunities in the sector, the destruction is going to continue.

“I have appealed to those who are breaking oil pipelines for now, the Niger Delta Avengers and everybody else, and as you know, we are engaging in negotiations for us to find peace this week and be able to enter a truce that stops all the destruction.”

Kachikwu noted that Akwa Ibom would have an oil depot, as his ministry developed a document basically on relationship with oil producing states.

He said: “So we can find a direct link between what we do and the oil that we produce. Then the restiveness will go. More than just the depot, I think Akwa Ibom deserves more.”

Daily Post