THE RELIGIOUS RESPONSE to MIGRATION and REFUGEE CRISES in CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA Udoh, Emmanuel Williams, Ph. D Department
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FAHSANU Journal Journal of the Arts /Humanities Volume 1 Number 2, Sept., 2018 THE RELIGIOUS RESPONSE TO MIGRATION AND REFUGEE CRISES IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA Udoh, Emmanuel Williams, Ph. D Department of Religious and Cultural Studies, University of Calabar, Calabar - Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected]; GSM: 08034038013 Abstract The movement of people from one country to another in search of greener pasture, peaceful settlement and so on, has become very rampant in the world today. These same reasons have triggered internal migrations as well. Lives have been lost in the bid to circumvent immigration laws of countries by immigrants. The current spate of wars, political crises, natural disasters and hunger has led to increase in illegal migration in the world. Nigeria is not left out. We hear of boundary clashes and insurgencies, which have resulted in illegal emigration to other countries basically in search of job opportunities and better living conditions. Nigerians have severally been repatriated from foreign lands. Recently, over five thousand Nigerians were repatriated from Libya. Nigeria has also played host to migrants from neighbouring countries, and has experienced internal migration in several parts of the country. The frequently asked questions are: “what role can religion play in curbing the spate of illegal migration and refugee crises in Cross River State, Nigeria? The research discovered that religion can be a veritable partner to government in resolving this ever-increasing menace that has become an embarrassment to the state and nation. This work adopted qualitative or explorative research method. It employed the content analysis approach in examining available printed materials on the subject matter. In view of its peculiarity, oral interviews were conducted on specific groups and individuals. This work proposes the involvement of religious organisations in preaching and teaching on the dangers of illegal migration, the provision of vocational training for our teaming youth population to reduce emigration, and the provision of counselling and resettlement programmes for the repatriated and those in refugee camps across the country. The work also encourages the government to evolve modalities to curb the spate of violence and bloodshed that has fuelled refugee crises in Cross River State and Nigeria in general. Introduction Migration and refugee crises are burning issues in the world today and have constantly challenged the governments of nations the world over. As the world grapples with the problem of terrorism, economic melt-down and recession, so the challenges of migration 1 FAHSANU Journal Journal of the Arts /Humanities Volume 1 Number 2, Sept., 2018 and refugee press hard. These phenomena have become serious issues of great concern as they affect human/religious life and the economy of nations. They have also created a state of insecurity worldwide. Migration has become a serious political issue which has attracted and engulfed the attention of national governments and international organisations. In Nigeria, the new term that applies to people previously called refugees is Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The term has become prominent in this 21st century Nigeria. It arose as a result of the activities of Boko Haram and insurgency in Nigeria which have caused many communities and groups to relocate to ‘safer grounds’, outside their original home. In the period spanning the 16th and 20th centuries, there were lots of moving and settling by the peoples of the world more than in any similar period in human history. The migration preceding this period were collective acts, more or less, voluntarily undertaken by the members of a group; but many of the more recent migrations differ in, at least, two significant ways. They have been either voluntary individual acts or enforced group movements, entirely against the will of the people who are being moved. The two types of migration began almost simultaneously after Europeans arrived America in the late 1400s and they have continued in one form or another up to the present day (Encarta) and in several other countries across the globe. The big question is: why are people voluntarily or forcefully leaving their homelands to settle in other places other than their birthplaces? Why do people prefer to be called refugees or internally displaced persons? A close examination of the above questions reveals several factors as contributing to these refugee crises. These factors include: seeking alternative residences as a result of devastation caused by natural and manmade disasters, change in climatic condition, need for employment, boundary disputes, demographic issues, search for religious or political freedom, and so on. Interestingly, when these people move out to new locations, they move with their culture and religion. On arrival in the new place, when they are received and have settled down in a receptive, friendly and peaceful environment, they begin to manifest their cultures and religions in those places. They explore and utilize the available avenues to display or practice their religions and cultures. However, the experiences in Bakassi and Boki in Cross River State are peculiar ones; the history is different, and the circumstance leading to their displacement is also different. These peculiarities stimulated the need for this research. Defining the Concepts 2 FAHSANU Journal Journal of the Arts /Humanities Volume 1 Number 2, Sept., 2018 Religion: Defining religion is an uphill task. This is because there is no universally acceptable definition of the concept. Many have defined it based on their experiences in a particular religion. Others define it from their field of specialisation or the perspectives of their academic inclination. Other reasons that account for the difficulty in defining religion include the variety of humankind’s religions with different beliefs and practices, and their variety in structure, organisation, etc. Looking at religion from different perspectives, one would discover that some definitions focus on transcendental entities. Some definitions equate morality to religion; some portray religion as something negative because it prevents humans from exercising the free will, though religion positively enforces moral laws. Despite the challenges in defining the term “Religion”, there must be a definition that will act as a boundary marker for this paper. It is also necessary to acknowledge the efforts of scholars in the field who have attempted to define religion. Edward B. Tylor says it is the “belief in Spiritual Beings” (in Yinger 4). For Paul Tillich, religion is “that which concerns us ultimately.” Robert Bellah sees religion as “a set of symbolic forms and acts which relates man to the ultimate condition of his existence” (Yinger 6). However, this paper adopts the definition propounded by Clifford Geertz, which is a functional definition that emphasises the role that religion plays in society. According to him “...a religion is (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive and long-lasting moods and motivation in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic”. This shall serve as our working definition. Migration: Migration is the movement of people, animals or birds, especially of large groups from one place, region, or country to another, particularly with the intention of making permanent settlement in a new location. To enable us understand the term “migration”, we need to know what it is. There are two types of migration – animals/birds and human. This article will concentrate on human migration. Human migration is known to have existed as part of human activities as far back as six million years ago. Human migration is usually done with the intentions of settling permanently or temporarily in a new location. The movement is often over long distances and from one country to another. But internal migration, where people move from one region to another, is also possible. And, in fact, this is the dominant form globally. The concept, migration, is the crossing of the boundary of a political or administrative unit for a certain minimum period of time. It includes the movement of refugees, displaced 3 FAHSANU Journal Journal of the Arts /Humanities Volume 1 Number 2, Sept., 2018 persons, uprooted people as well as economic migrants. Internal migration refers to a movement from one area (a province, district or municipality) to another within one country. International migration is a territorial relocation of people between nation-states. Two forms of relocation can be excluded from this broad definition: first, a territorial movement which does not lead to any change in ties of social membership and, therefore, remains largely inconsequential both for the individual and the society at the points of origin and destination, such as tourism. The second is a relocation in which the individuals or groups concerned are purely passive objects rather than active agents of the movement, such as organized transfer of refugees from states of origins to a safe haven. The dominant forms of migration can be distinguished according to the motives (economic, family reunion, refugees) or legal status (irregular migration, controlled emigration/immigration, free emigration/immigration) of those concerned. Most countries distinguish between a number of categories