By Atinuke Miftahu
Nigerians studying in India, Cyprus, Malaysia, South Africa, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey always have bitter pills to swallow in their quest for knowledge.
Most Nigerian students abroad especially in the countries mentioned are being subjected to untold abuses ranging from Exploitation, racist behaviour, and the killing of Nigerian students by locals, have become the order of the day.
According to Sahara Reporters, Nigerians and other blacks studying in India fault the educational system as inefficient against all expectations.
They decried poor facilities and high degree of racism even in the academic community.
In Cyprus, stories of some attacks on blacks on the streets, especially at night is random. A few died under questionable circumstances.
Reports have it that the people from Turkey in Northern Cyprus were mostly against blacks dating their ladies.
Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Russia have also recorded many racists behaviour against blacks, including Nigeria but not as deadly as Cyprus.
Many Nigerian students in these countries have to endure the harsh weather. They often encounter problems in communicating when they travel there for education. They have to first learn the native language to begin their studies.
Both countries have a long history of racism against black students.
In Russia, The Moscow Times had reported earlier last year how an unnamed Nigerian student was hospitalized after knife attack in southern Russia. Many Nigerian students on the Bilateral Education Agreement in Russia have also recounted one form of racism in Russia.
“Yes, racism is a problem in Ukraine. During early 2000, racism was severe in Ukraine. Sometimes ago, I visited the club for the first time and that was one of the worst experiences I had in the country. Being the only black in the midst of white students, it was easy to sight me. There was a clash which would have taken my life or left me injured but I escaped.”
In South Africa, despite being an African country, it has remained a volatile region for Nigerian students in the past decade. Constant xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and black nationals have continued unabated. South Africa is a good place to study. The only fear is xenophobia.
Malaysia, which used to be friendly to Nigerian students before have to the dark side of life. Some analysts think that a series of cases involving some Internet scammers identified as Nigerians might have been responsible for the changes.
Against this backdrop, Nigerian government has been called upon to invest more in education to encourage home Studies by our students.
Nigeria needs to make education so good in a way that foreign students will flood back to Nigerian Institutions as it used to be. The Nigerian Government needs to perfect its role as regulator and create an enabling environment for private and state operators who are better placed to attract and make higher investments due to greater productivity and better accountability.