One of my biggest disappointments is the way people treat blacks on the island, especially we Nigerians - NSS-EMU executive member

One of the executive member of the Nigerian Student’s Society at the Eastern Mediterranean University in a recent interview with Turkish Cypriot daily, Afrika spoke on the killing of Nigerian student, Kennedy Dede and also opened up on several issues facing Nigerians and African in Cyprus 

Kingsley Udofia is a pharmacy student at Eastern Mediterranean University and currently in his fifth and final year. 

Kingsley who was interviewed on behalf of the Nigerian Student Community talked about the recent murder incident, rents, agency and racism.

General remarks about issues and the murder of Kennedy:

What happened to Kennedy was really a sad news to us. This is not the first time something like this is happening. We are tired, so we needed to speak up. So many times before Nigerians have been killed, kidnapped, and the government didn’t do anything about it. This really made us so upset; we really had to protest to tell the school that we are aware that they are not really doing anything about it.

Did you expect to be faced with these problems before you came to Cyprus?
It will be unrealistic not to expect problems, but I didn’t expect it to be so much.  I came to Cyprus because I came to find new opportunities. New opportunities that I couldn’t find in my country. This is one of the reasons that am here. I just wanted access to a good and quality education, in other to create a better future for myself. Coming to Cyprus, I thought I could work and school while saving up for my masters program But when I came here the reverse was the case, due to so many factors such as job availability, being an African, just to mention a few.

What did you hear about Cyprus, what was your expectations?
The first thing that I heard about Cyprus was that it’s a very peaceful place with a low crime rate, conducive for studies, with job availabilities and fair cost of living and you can  explore other countries from Cyprus.

I am not really saying that’s not the case, but most of my expectations hasn’t been met.

What has been your biggest disappointment? 
One of my biggest disappointments is the way people treat blacks on the island, especially we Nigerians.

Firstly, I would like to say that not every black is Nigerian. We are aware that Nigerians are the most populated black community on the island, But trust me, we have over  52 countries in Africa and we are mostly blacks. The fact that I am black, doesn’t make me a Nigerian, The fact that I am black doesn’t make me a bad person, The fact that I am black doesn’t make me someone who use drugs, or someone who does illegal  things. I shouldn’t be judged unfairly or wrongly  because of  The color of my skin.

We are not being treated equally here. When it comes to jobs, whites are getting paid more for doing less. They also receive more breaks than blacks. (smoking breaks) When it comes to blacks they believe we  are physically stronger, then if that’s the case pay us our worth. Our girls are sexually harassed on a daily basis by locals.

Rent
The prices they give to blacks are different from the ones they give to whites. So many times I have called agencies and asked them how much their rent is, they would give me a different price than what they would tell  my white friends. That is not fair on us. They believe that we have a lot of money. I am not saying we are all broke, but we are students, we have priorities. We are all here to study. They should stop treating us differently but fairly. Whether you are black or white, we are all humans.

Injustice especially to Africans is just too much. It should be addressed.

Agency 
For us, facing hard time in Cyprus is because of the misinformation from agencies back home. They tell you in Cyprus you can work, you can school, life in Cyprus is not an easy one, it is very difficult for you to get a job, it is really difficult for you to work and study, even though you get a job you will be under paid. We pay our school fees in dollars, but they pay us in Turkish lira. Agencies in Nigeria don’t say this to us. They misinform us, they give us high hopes. Everything will be okay, life will be fair, but trust me, its not what it seems.

What kind of prejudices are you facing?
A lot. There are a lot of racism here, there was that time when I was going to school and a white girl was standing close to me, she refused to sit down. I felt bad. I am human. We are all humans. No matter what our color is.

There is this general idea that Nigerians use drugs and are involved in illegal  things… what do you think?
When it comes to Nigerians and drug use, please, not all Nigerians do drugs. We are not bad people, that is one thing I want you to know. We are really good people. Look at statistics, you will see best athletes, best academicians, best entertainers, best entrepreneurs   are mostly Nigerians. I am not saying that all Nigerians are good, but you don’t have to judge us based on a few bad eggs. Nigerians are known for their hardwork and brilliance … Even Cypriots   can testify that if you have a Nigerian person work with you, its been perfected. So again, please, not all Nigerians do drugs.

Do you think media effects injustices and discrimination you are facing with?

Yes. There was a recent incident that happened, a Nigerian was killed, his name was Kennedy. So some newspapers interviewed his sister, and what we saw in the media was different from what his sister  said. So most of the key issues, they didn’t actually put it on the media. Even when his dad came, he was scared to answer to any questions from the media so as not to be misinterpreted. This is so bad because we are not supposed to be biased in the media. They didn’t have to change the narrative. I wasn’t happy with what they did. Secondly, another reason we had to protest in school after what happened to kennedy was because the police refused publishing the names of the culprits after been caught. There are some many times Nigerians or students of other nationality were were caught committing an offence, their identities were revealed on local newspapers  But in the case of Kennedy they did not do that at first, because the  culprits were from Cyprus or turkey I guess. I understand they might not want publish it due to security reasons, then if that’s the case it should be applicable to Africans too.

Is university or the government helping you with your problems?
So many times we have complained to the university, about the hike in the price of rent, school fees and about security challenges we are facing like what happened to Kennedy.  He got kidnapped  Initially and escaped, he complained but no one listened.  We have had so many meetings with the school, they keep promising, but we have not seen any positive thing they have done. The school might be really trying, but we need to see some progress. Last semester we had a meeting in the school, all students came, and they keep promising they will check and do something, but we haven’t seen any tangible thing they have done, which is really bad. We have a feeling of unfulfilled promises.

What do you demand from the government or the university? What do you need a change in?
There are so many stranded  students on the island who could not continue with their education due to financial  constraints and as such have not been able to renew their resident permit for years, it  would be great to have the school provide avenues to assist such student with grants and scholarships also amnesty should be given to students who have stayed on the island over a long period of time without resident permits. Also we are aware of cases were some students have long graduated without getting their certificates due to huge debt been owed to the school, avenues should be created so as to enable them clear their debt such as working for the school in any capacity and be payed.

Last remarks: do you have a hope that things will change
Sincerely speaking I am very happy to be in Cyprus, Cyprus is a very beautiful island to be, with a very conducive environment for learning. There is no place in the world that there are no issues, but the main thing is, how can we solve these problems.

We really want to speak up, we want our voices to be heard when need be.

We are not saying government or university should do everything for us, but at least,  they should lay a foundation for students to survive. We cannot underestimate the influence of EMU in north Cyprus as a whole and as such this influence should be used to affect the lives of student not just in education but in other aspects as earlier mentioned. In EMU we have students from about 100 different countries, which to me speaks well of not only the school but the island too. We have such number of students here because of the good things they have  have heard about the island and also we want leave Cyprus not only with certificates but we want to leave with good memories, Good experiences  and a  feeling of satisfaction and this can only be achieved if  policies are made to made to better the lives of we students.