By Abdu Labaran Malumfashi.
Sometime in the early years of the present Republic (4th), I went to the Lagos based American (US) Consulate for a visa interview, which however, ended on unfriendly terms between the interviewer (an Afro American lady) and the interviewee (me).
It all started with two letters in 2006, written by the then Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzo Kalu. One of the letters was a request to my employers to allow me travel to the United States to cover the launching of his Presidential campaign, which was billed to take place in Washington, District of Columbia (DC). The second (letter) was addressed to me. Inside my letter was a to-whom-it-may-concern for the workers at the Lagos based Consulate of the US.
My letter notified me of my selection to go on an all paid trip to attend and cover the official launching of the Presidential campaign of Governor Kalu in Washington DC, subject to my getting the two-week US visa by myself. The to-whom-it-may-concern addition explained that the visit was being financed by Governor Kalu, for me to cover the official launching of his Presidential campaign.
After reading the paper, going through my documents, and photographing me cap-less, the interviewer, an Afro American lady, told me point blank that I was not getting the visa, because, according to her, “you are not going to come back”. I was flabbergasted to hear her talk authoritatively as if it was my idea that I should undertake the trip to the US.
I said she was wrong to think that I was going to abscond when I got to her country. I told her that I had a well paying job, which I loved doing, a good family, that I was not prepared to abandon for the US, and a country that I wanted to give my contribution to build.
But despite saying all these and my pleas to reconsider her position, the lady insisted on, “No, you are not coming back, if we allow you to go”. After that, I fired back, telling her to “keep your useless visa. I know your country too well, and I do not plan to be looking over my shoulders whenever I am in the public, for fear that some racist may take a gunshot at me”. After my speech, the Afro American lady interviewer still maintained her position, saying that she knew I was not coming back to Nigeria.
I left her booth, but not before I told her a piece of my mind. But the throng of waiting people, most of them from the Southern part of Nigeria, thought I was mad by insulting her, instead of begging for the reconsideration of her decision to deny me the visa. I gave them a contemptuous stare and told them to beg her for themselves, but me, I would not belittle myself just to get a visa for a two-week stay in the US.
Then ordinary Sani Bako, who later became a Nigerian Ambassador of high standing, was my host in Lagos. He was then working as some kind of important official of the federal government, at the international wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos.
Ambassador Sani (His colleagues call him Ambassador Bako), who was the pioneer Nigerian Ambassador to Vietnam, was both my host, eyes and (sometimes) ears, during my one month visit to China.
I was opportune to visit a section of the famous ‘Great Wall of China’, where I had my one and only ride in a cable car. By the way, I suffered (still do, maybe worse, if anything) from a rabid acrophobia (great fear for height), and had to close my eyes firmly (to make sure they did not open involuntarily). I also leant on someone close and realising that I was scared to death of the ride, the kind person allowed me to ‘enjoy’ my ride leaning on him.
I did not see the person when the ride ended but promised myself “never to repeat joining the cable car again”, and I trekked back for the return journey, which offered me a lot more but safer opportunities to see the part of the wall in all its old meandering splendour. The rumination of the China visit, which some people whispered behind my back that I faked, was triggered by the chance finding of an unused face cap, which I purchased when I visited the Great Wall. I gave it to my 16-year-old son, as I appear too old to be seen putting on a cap that boys of young age should be wearing.
It also reminded me of my trip to Saudi Arabia for the annual Holy Pilgrimage. The entire journey to and from Saudi Arabia, was an all-expense-paid for affair sponsored by the Saudi Government, facilitated by the then Chairman of the Daily Trust Management, Alhaji AbdulMuminu Bello Mabai, the younger brother of the District Head of Kankara and Sarkin Pauwan Katsina, Justice Bello.
Alhaji AbdulMumini Bello, I will never forget till my death. Although I am older than him by a few years, he was a boss, a mentor, a brother, a friend, a moral and financial supporter, all rolled into one. He it was that sponsored the famous Malam Adamu Adamu and myself to a trip to Morocco, and another one to Algeria.
Malam Adamu Adamu was AbdulMumini Bello’s very close and dear friend, and a former immutable columnist for the Daily Trust Newspaper, and also Muhammadu Buhari’s companion and speech writer, before he became President of Nigeria, and appointed him (the former) as the country’s senior Minister of Education for the eighth years he was in office.
From the trip to Saudi Arabia I came to understand that not all Arab Muslims like African Muslims. This is contrary to the last Khudba (Sermon) of the Prophet and final Messenger of Allah, Muhammadu (SAW), in which he said that a Muslim is brother or sister to another Muslim wherever they may be, and, whatever the colour of their skin is. But it appeared that many Arabs would prefer someone from the US, regardless of his religion, than a Muslim African.
As stated earlier in this write up, my journey to Saudi Arabia was sponsored by the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Nigeria, which also gave out the visa, free of any hassle. A Cameroonian national, Mr. AbdulWahab, was also a beneficiary of the Saudi Arabia trip. Mr. AbdulWahab could speak an affected US accent, if he so wished.
When the two of us reached Saudi Arabia, he immediately started talking as if he was an American. He soon became the toast of many of the Arabs, who appeared to worship anything US, which could be seen from the preponderance of US vehicles everywhere in the country.
When they however, realised that yours faithfully was African from Africa, they gave me a cold treatment that indicated I might not have existed, as far as they were concerned. Even in China, I did not meet the hostility that I unfortunately experienced in Saudi Arabia. On understanding their psychology fully, my companion Mr. AbdulWahab became ‘a US citizen’, even though he confessed to me that “apart from Nigeria and Niger Republic”, he had never been to any foreign country in his life.
Even during prayers in the two Haram Mosques (the two Holiest Mosques in the world), the Arabs refused to hide their dislike for the black African. If a situation forced an African to be side by side with some of the Arab in the Mosques, they kept shifting away any part of their body that came into contact with the black African.
May God remove all hatred from our heart, if it is not for His sake. May He also make us free of envy (Hassada) of any favour He bestows on others, if such people have not deviated from His divine directives.
Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.