“Scapegoats” and “Sacred-Cows”: Reactions to the Immigrant Expulsion of 1983 in Nigeria

Abstract

The 1983 mass expulsion of immigrants was ostensibly intended to free
Nigeria of “extra loads” in response to the aftermath of the global economic crunch that bedevilled the country at the time. Although the exercise was challenging enough for the affected African immigrants, the realisation that they were treated like cannon fodder and scapegoats while their Asian counterparts, received “a pat on the back” made their condition more frustrating. This work revisits the debate on the 1983 mass expulsion with focus on public reactions to the seemingly discriminatory, anti-African and un-African posture of the Nigerian authorities in preference for Asian immigrants. It argues that in pursuing the policy of mass expulsion of Africans, the Nigerian authorities jettisoned the principle of “brotherliness and good neighbourliness” in favour of the law of demand and supply. This dictated what could fairly be described as “sacred cow” treatment for Asian immigrants.

Keywords: Nigeria, Immigrants, Discrimination, Favouritism, Repatriation