As a Nigerian Professional resident in Doha, State of Qatar, I would
like to draw the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria, The
Federal Ministry of External Affairs, and the National Assembly to the
activities of some unscrupulous agents in Nigeria, with collaboration of
some Nigerian elements in Doha offering Work Visa to unsuspecting
Nigerians to work and live in Qatar. This practice has been on for some
time but has recently reached a frightening dimension in the last few
months.
There are now many Nigerians living roughly, some in
detention, many living in uncompleted buildings earmarked for
demolition, as a result of a scam going on in Nigeria about Qatar Work
visas.
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Qatar is a tiny emirate in the Middle
East. It is a country rich in oil and gas resources which have fueled
the infrastructural and economic development of this Arabian Peninsula
nation over the past decades. This economic boom has seen the migration
of people from South East Asia, Europe, America and Africa to this small
Gulf State. The local Qatari people are also friendly and receptive to
foreigners of diverse languages, cultural and religious background. In
anticipation of the influx of economic migrant to support the Nations
growth, the government of the State of Qatar has an effective
immigration system that has been designed to ensure that only legal
immigrants are allowed to live and work in Qatar.
While Work Visa as
it’s currently being secured for Nigerians by Local Nigerian agents in
Qatar and their collaborators in Nigeria grants you the right to live in
Qatar, there is no job attached to this Visa. The impression given is
that once you arrive in Qatar, Jobs are waiting for you as there are
opportunities everywhere. This is not the truth as there are many
Nigerians on the streets of Doha today seeking employment without
headway for months and in some cases over a year.
Some have
returned home disappointed after borrowing money and selling properties
to secure Qatar Work visa with high expectations of better life. They
lived in harrowing conditions in slums and labour quarters before
finding their way back to their motherland. The Agents, who procured the
Visa disappeared and live these individuals to the mercy of friends and
fellow Nigerians to assist to the best of their abilities. The
saddening thing is that most of these unfortunate migrants left paid
employment behind in Nigeria, to seek “greener pastures” as painted by
this Work Visa Agents.
I must state clearly that, there are
indeed job opportunities for qualified professionals in Qatar, and many
Nigerians are gainfully employed and practicing their professions in
Qatar, it is important to highlight the danger posed by the activities
of these nefarious individuals not only to law abiding Nigerians in
Qatar, but also the image of the Nigeria Nation. In addition, because of
the bad publicity this has generated in government circle, stricter
restriction on the issuance of Visa for Nigerians is in place. All
hotels in Qatar no longer process Nigeria tourist Visa as applicable to
Nationals of other countries willing to come to Qatar on holiday.
Despite all these, there has been no official response to this malaise
by the relevant Nigerian Embassies in the Gulf.
The implication
of this is that, Nigerians with genuine business/holiday interest are
refused entry visa. This was not the case five years ago, as you could
apply for Visa for anyone by approaching any of the hotels in Doha.
MORE:http://www.pointblanknews.com/Special_Reports/os4580.html
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