Asylum seekers

Unfortunately Ireland is changing. The influx of asylum seekers is evident on the streets of Dublin. Quite a few can be seen begging on street corners, whilst others can be seen walking around in traditional African attire. The ones I have seen in traditional dress saunter around in a regal manner. It reminded me of when I spent time in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. There was a little restaurant which specialised in Pizza. It was run by a Lebanese family. It was the kind of place where most Irish people would not eat. The toilets were beside the tables and to flush you had to fill a bucket and pour down. Most people did not do this due to the smell and flies. You held your breath as best you could for the duration and legged it. The air conditioning and ice cold beer made it worth while. The 'Pizza Shack' as we called it was frequented mostly by Europeans, however some local families did come in to dine. They would saunter around as if they were at the Ritz. Compared to the people on the streets they were rich, and they knew it. They would not have been used to the high hygiene standards you would expect in Europe, so to them this was grandeur. This was the life of Reilly.

Equatorial Guinea is a one party dictatorship. The people are kept down by the military. I was walking past the town hall during the daily raising of the flag one morning. There were soldiers and civilians standing to attention. I was walking past oblivious to the ceremony when soldiers rushed up to me pointing their rifles and shouting in Spanish. Considering the presidents uncle had killed some 60,000 of the countries population, before the president turned and killed him. I thought it was best to comply with their demands to stand and salute the raising of their flag.

Now back to the posh locals at the pizza shack. The reason they are the elite minority and able to live a relatively privileged life, is because they support the dictatorship. They back the regime which oppresses their own people. In recent times the country has had an oil boom, and it is said the country has oil reserves similar to that of Kuwait. Now get this little peach. The capital Malabo is about the size of Drogheda. The total population is estimated at 551,000. So much oil and such a small population. Exxon Mobil offered to help with the malaria problem and the government asked how much would they get for it. Exxon Mobil refused to pay, so the Island of Bioko remains the worst place on earth for malaria, and the only place were the three most deadly strains are found.

Nigerians in Dublin are the type of people we see in the pizza shack. They are the the well off ones who have nothing to fear in their home countries. The people who are oppressed are more interested in where they will get the money to put bush meat on the table, than making the connecting flight to Dublin form Paris. but the fact remains the real oppressed people will never see Ireland. The elite are the only ones who could hold such hopes. They are used to being the elite hence the arrogant saunter. Why should the elite care for their fellow countrymen? They have had their slice of the pie, so screw the rest, I'm off to the rich pickings in Ireland.

We know Nigeria has had tensions between Christians in the south and northern Muslims, but things are peaceful now. We have disputes and kidnapping of oil workers, but the place is no worse than elsewhere in Africa. They cannot claim that there is a war when claiming asylum. They use our ignorance of Nigerian customs. One tactic is blaming the in laws. One woman in Belfast was claiming that she would have to marry the brother of her dead husband if she returned to Nigeria. They would then claim her land for theirs. Handy since her in laws can back her stories up. Reminds me of another high profile case involving in laws. That story has bigger holes than Rio Tinto. You all know which one.

The real people who suffer in Africa will never see Ireland. The people of Zimbabwe who are suffering greatly flee on foot to their nearest neighbour South Africa. Compare conditions in Nigeria to those in Zimbabwe. Now look at the numbers of people from those countries in Ireland
according to the CSO.

Nigerians 16,667
Zimbabwe 2,281

I bet many of the Zimbabweans are white farmers who fled during the land redistribution, or the elite who backed the Mugabe regime until there was nothing left.