By Best Masinire
Ties between India and Nigeria have hit a new low in the aftermath of the recent murder of a Nigerian in the western Indian state of Goa.
The Murder of a Nigerian in Goa has turned spotlight on African community, many of whom say they face unfair treatment.
The killing led to angry demonstrations by other Nigerian nationals in the state, besides triggering an ugly spat between Indian politicians and Nigerian envoys in the country.
Several senior Goa politicians have described Nigerians in unsavoury terms.
Goa’s Art and Culture Minister Dayanand Mandrekar claimed Nigerians were a “cancer”, while parliamentarian Shantaram Naik accused them of indulging in drug trade.
With xenophobia sweeping parts of Goa, signs saying “No to Nigerians, No to Drugs” have sprung up in several neighbourhoods.
Following the murder and the subsequent arson, the authorities in Goa have embarked on a drive to detect and deport Nigerians living without valid visas.
The drive has angered Nigerian embassy officials in New Delhi and evoked angry response.
“There are only 50,000 Nigerians living in India, but there are over a million Indians living in Nigeria.Thousands of Indians living there will be thrown out on the streets if the forcible eviction of Nigerians in Goa does not stop,” Jacob Nwadibia, an administrative attaché of the Nigerian high commission in New Delhi, said.
The incidents have turned the spotlight on the African community in India – Nigerians included – many of whom say they face discrimination and harassment on a daily basis.
They say the phenomenon is not confined just to Goa, but extends to even other major Indian cities.
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