Photo credit: Red Francesca
A revelation of the joys and sorrows of migrants…
a snippet!
Smiley sits in the dock awaiting the judge’s entrance.
He had been arrested by agents of the National Crime Agency for unlawfully crossing the English Channel in Dover. If that had been his only case, he would’ve told his lawyer he wanted to plead guilty.
But he’s also arraigned for people smuggling. He’d been in the business for quite a while. With mansions and a fleet of automobiles to show for his hustle, he isn’t about to leave the trade in a hurry. He knows his arrest is just one of the hazards of the business.
Smith enters the Murtala Muhammad Airport, in Lagos with a backpack strapped to his back. He is embraced by the bedlam and heat oozing in the lounge. There seem to be more security agents than passengers.
Since his flight is still in the evening, he knows he has four hours to kill. However, he doesn’t have a Yellow Card as the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is called. Realizing he may not be allowed to travel without the card, he approaches an airport official to inquire how to get one.
In an apartment in London, Wonuola is in labour. She is lucky because her husband, Lanre is at home. Lanre is waiting for the children to get ready for school. He dials 999 to call the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
He wouldn’t have dialled the number since under normal circumstances, labor isn’t considered an emergency in the UK. However, as the couple lost their last baby almost immediately after birth, the midwives had advised them to call an emergency whenever she was in labour.
In Abeokuta, there’s a newspaper distributor who has served generations of newsreaders. But the most prominent thing about the man is that he doesn’t deny people without money access to information. He knows the poor economy is taking its toll on the cash-strapped masses.
UNICEF recognizes the place as a spot for information. The organization provides laptops and, of course, internet facilities.
The place becomes a centre for the free dissemination of news.
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