INTRODUCTION

The year 2003 ended with lots of fulfilled and unfulfilled dreams, but some will have to wait till the year 2004. The later categories of people are mainly those whose faith presently lies in the hands of a raffle draw to be held in the United States otherwise known as the US visa lottery. From the 1^st of November to the 31^st of December, most business centers have been preoccupied. This is as a result of the influx of people who wish to fill the DV form. The annual DV programmme is a good opportunity for potential immigrants to obtain the status of permanent legal residents of the USA. The programme runs each year providing 50,000 ‘green cards’ to applicants randomly selected in a lottery process – known as "Greencard Lottery" -- by the U.S. Immigration Department. You can clearly decipher why the last two months of the year 2003 was so important to some people in Igboland.

In one of the business centers which I visited, I met a man, his wife, and three children; he was so disturbed by the present economic crisis in the country and could not bear it any more. The DV programme was God-sent for him to pursue another course in a different land. As we were still discussing, a young man of about 23 years popped in and shouted, “Yeah! Whazzup, guys? I am goin' to America.” I was not surprise because he had his head tired up with a handkerchief of American flag. Of all the places I visited, I was only moved to write about the DV programme by the words of one man: “I am going to American in search of green pastures,” the man concluded after our discussion that America is the land filled with green pastures. Thus, the purpose of this article is to find out how green is the American pasture in the context of better living.

OF GREEN PASTURE

It is very important to understand what our people (the Igbo people) make of the word ‘green pasture’ in the context of moving to America or Europe. Most Igbo believe that America and Europe posses the best of life in terms of living, such as feeding, accommodation, job opportunities cum quick money making, transport fare, clothing, school supplies, and furniture, which are summarized as very essential commodities. It is very easy to believe that these things are so easy over there -- no thanks, a dollar is about 145 naira in the black market. If ones relative manages to send between $100 - $500 dollars, it may require some divine intervention to convince any person that things are even difficult over there.

The rise of the dollar against the naira has contributed immensely in making people believe that things are better in America and Europe -- no thanks to capitalism. Most people have thrown the blame to bad governance, which is not far from the truth, but it will require an eagle eye to see the extent of how capitalism has crippled the African and Asian economy, not just the Nigerian economy, thus making America and Europe, to a certain class, the arsenal of global economy. This is true of the economy, but how is it true in terms of the life of the people in respect of the above-mentioned essential commodities?

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

There is indeed no comparison between America and Europe and the African continent, not to talk of Nigeria in terms of science and technological advancement, which is even a threat in this generation and the ones to come. Take for instance the threat of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. There is indeed a great difference when it comes to life in its outmost comfortability, which most people in Africa and in Igboland are yet to decipher.

One area that most of the people I met stressed a lot was that the poverty level in the country, which they say is unbearable and represent a significant social problem. Poverty line, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the minimum income needed for the necessities of life. These necessities include feeding, clothing, and shelter; there is also the problem of job and job opportunities. They constitute the major reason why most of those I met want to leave the country by all means.

OF FEEDING

Food is very essential in this life and to leave without eating is as good as joining the spirit beings. One of the men I met told me that he couldn’t feed the normal three times per day. It baffles me sometimes when I hear an Igbo man cry of hunger or no food to eat and hopes that moving to America will solve the problem. A 1993 report by the Urban Institute estimates that as many as 50 percent of the elderly living in inner-city neighborhoods go hungry and/or must choose between food and paying rent (Lee 1993). Many low-income families find that they do not have sufficient money for food after paying high rents.

In Igboland, if a man cannot feed his family, he is regarded to be worse than an imbecile. A man can complain of lack of money, but not food because it is surplus. One of my friends in Holland told me how the brother’s wife, who is a white, lady denied him a third slice of bread. He later discovered that the woman was angered that he ate as much as three slices of bread each breakfast. Listen to his conclusion, “Men! I eat one loaf of bread in Nigeria, and no one questions me; and here I cannot eat more than three slices? Damn! I better return.” You may want to know if the young man has returned; the answer is a big yes, and he is doing pretty fine.

In pre-colonial Igbo society and even presently in our villages, an Igbo man takes it upon him as a shame if he is unable to feed his guest to his satisfaction. Food is supplied in surplus and constantly supplied until it overcomes the guest, and it is a thing of joy for your host that he can feed you to your satisfaction. This is done for as long as the guest wishes to stay without complain. Let my brothers in America now answer if this kind of generosity is truly possible over there, even to one's own brother.

Another interesting thing to note is the fact that most Americans leaving below the poverty level may not cope with a long-term industrial strike. This is because most of them depend on their salary to survive and a bridge to it for a day will spell doom to many. In Igboland and in Anambra State, the people have gone for months without salary yet no one ever complained of dying or not feeding because of the strike. This is because, apart from the salary, there are other sources of surviving like farming, which is one area the Igbo must be encouraged to concentrate on, in order to overcome this capitalist society.

OF SHELTER

The word shelter is far preferable in America to the word accommodation. This is because most people leaving below the poverty line cannot afford to pay the rent of a one-bedroom apartment. Thus, adopting the status of a nomad in a place they call theirs. If there is one thing I will always find hard to believe is the idea that there are some people in Igbo land without a place of theirs. As a matter of fact, if you are seen sleeping under the bridge or at unusual places, you will be regarded as a mad man: a scenario that is very common in America with normal people.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto - Canada in 1987 was $854, rising to $966 for two bedrooms. A single person in a bachelor apartment could expect to pay $616 per month, leaving $184 for food, clothes and heat (Sylva M. Hale 1990, 281). You can now see why most people prefer to roam the street and seek shelter at night in any available place. The poor are more likely to live in inner-city neighborhoods where the houses are old, crowded, dangerous, and owned by an absentee landlord. According to estimates, more than 25 percent of Americans live in substandard housing, many without heat or proper plumbing facilities (Sivard 1991, 48).

About 15 percent of the people I spoke with told me how they couldn’t afford to pay for their rents while none actually complained of being homeless. In Onitsha where I live, an apartment, which is 3 bedrooms and a sitting room, is about #5,000 ($35) per month for old buildings built as far back as the 80s. Apartments in buildings built in the mid-90s to date rent for about #7,000 ($50) per month, for those without a single self-contained room, while those with at least one single self-contained room rent for about #10,000 ($85). There is no doubts there are some buildings, which cost as much as $100 per month (#12,000), most of which owners are regarded to be greedy. One of the best areas in the city (G.R.A) is between $200 - $400 per month pending on the building and location. I know many people will be surprise to see these figures, but it is the fact.

One thing that scare most people is the fact that when moving in, you will have to pay for at least two years after which you pay either monthly or every three months pending on the agreement with the landlord. One may argue that the minimum wage here is just #7,000 per month and will not be enough to pay for the house rent not to talk of other essential commodities. I agree with this point, but let us understand that we are talking of an urban area. If we are to discuss based on Sivard’s findings, such buildings in Onitsha cost as low as #200 - #500 (lee than $5) per month. Even at that, if three bachelors share one 3-bedroom apartment, which is the case in most apartments, you will find out that each person will pay as low as $10 for old buildings and $30 for new buildings.

It is interesting to know why no one complained of being homeless. This is because most of the urban cities are close to villages. For someone who cannot afford the rent, he can as well be coming to work from his village. In the case where it is not the person’s village (a man from Imo working in Anambra), one can rent a room there at give-away prices. As a matter of fact, if any person is without shelter in Igboland, he is regarded as an abnormal person, which in most cases, the relatives will come and take him to the village because “it is the brother of a mad man that is being mocked." The same cannot be said in America. Although the typical homeless person is an unmarried, middle-aged male of minority status (Rossi and Wright 1993), women, children, and elderly individuals are also homeless (Mooney, Knox and Schacht, 1997).

This does not mean there are no homeless individuals in Onitsha; of course, I met one whose reasons were personal while another was into drugs and the best way to be away from the reach of the police is to be without any contact address, which may not mean homelessness. But in the case of a normal elderly man, child or woman, homelessness is very very rare and one can even argue that it does not exist in Igboland. This is because the elderly ones are moved to their respective villages when they are no longer fit to cope with the challenges of urban areas. The American society does not even encourage land ownership not to talk of one having a village. Why won’t there be a very high rate of homeless individuals.

Of jobs and job opportunities

There is no doubt that there are better jobs and job opportunities in America because of its highly industrialized nature, but the problem is not all about jobs and job opportunities but the degree to which a person is satisfied with his job. There are certain factors that contribute to job satisfaction such as income, prestige, a feeling of accomplishment, autonomy, or personal freedom, a sense of being challenged by the job, opportunities to be creative, congenial co-workers, the feeling that one is making a contribution, benefits, promotion opportunities, and job security.

America is a place where an average person will have to keep at least two separate jobs and work a total of about 18 hours a day to survive leaving behind just 6 hours for the rest of human activities. My sympathy to those unfortunate ones. An American who came to Igboland for the first time was surprised that people spend more time for leisure with their loved ones more than at work, yet no one looks like having the kind of problem they face in similar conditions in America. I have not been there; only he knows and those who are there experiencing it.

Most Americans unlike the Igbo are dissatisfied with their jobs. An advertisement for army recruit claims that joining the army enables one to “be all that you can be.” Indeed, if you read the classified ad of any newspaper, you are likely to find job advertisements that entice applicants with claims such as “discover a rewarding and challenging career…” and “we offer opportunities for advancement and travel…” Unfortunately, most jobs do not allow workers to “be all you can be.” In reality, most employers want you to "be all you can be for them" with limited concern for your career satisfaction (Mooney, Knox and Schacht, 1997)

That is the type of jobs and job opportunities our people are dreaming of, a job where you will have little or no time for yourself more or less your loved ones back home. This has even made most Igbo in America not to think of home. In Ahiara, a village in Imo state, I was shown the compound of a man who has been in America for over 28 years and there was just nothing to show for the sojourn. The younger brother who is in Owerri has already built a modern duplex. They could not understand the reason, but I clearly could and I was able to make some of them see with me. This does not mean that there are no green pastures in America. As a matter of fact, there are jobs and job opportunities that can change the life of an entire family.

IF YOU MUST GO

There is no doubt that there are people from Igboland who are in America and are leaving comfortably and have even raised modern structures at home. This clearly indicates that there are indeed green pastures in America but, for one to reap it, the person needs proper knowledge and guidance. This I have done through those who are there and those I have met who had been there.

It is far better if you are traveling to America to practice law or as a medical practitioner. Professional courses like nursing is also very good for anyone who wants to go there. People with these professions excel easily in America than Nigeria. The practice of law is a lucrative one in America unlike Nigeria because there is a better and well-organised justice system over there and attorneys are given freehand to practice their profession without much of external influence. Doctors and nurses also have very good chances of making it in America because of the same reason as lawyers and the fact that America is far advanced technologically. Thus, doctors have better materials to practice there which makes it easier to save lives and you know what it means to save a life.

Therefore, my advice to those who must go is that they should ensure that they fall into any of these three professional courses. Apart from these three, one can also go if he has brothers and or sisters who have strongly established themselves and have made proper plans for him with the concept that he will be assisted financially, in case of any difficulties, for as long as it takes for him to stand on his own. I believe if those who had gone there were given proper guidance, there wouldn’t be cases like the man who had stayed there for 28 years and does not even call the family back home – what a great loss to the family. There are so many of them like that who have decided to remain and die there instead of coming home empty-handed -- as they did not go. Please if you know of any, advise him or her to come home; it is better than wasting in a strange land.

CONCLUSION

As I said in the introduction, I was moved to write this article because of the statement of one man but I also discovered in the process of my discussion with some of the people that they were truly ignorant about the difficulties people face in America and Europe. Most of them are deceived by the images they see from music channels about American black musicians and some of the American films they watch. The young man above who popped in like a gangster could not understand that people are suffering in America. This is what he said, “If there are people who are suffering, how come nobody has ever discouraged us or how come our brothers do not tell us?”

He reminded me of one of my articles last year where I blamed our brothers in US for not educating the majority of the people at home about the other side of life in America. [see Biafra: The unquenchable flame.]

There are people who are out there doing their best, but it is not enough for its achievement is yet to be felt. If we keep quite as we are doing, we will only end up in dislodging the cultural bond that binds us. I say so because I have not really seen anyone who returned from the USA with the desire of our culture. Rather they bring in the American way of life. It is not the best for our people. It is not a crime nor against the law of the land for one to travel out, but I believe our forefathers will not be happy to hear that the same people who have gone out are the same ones who are contributing the most in crippling our culture.

Every year, most Igbo organizations are only engaged in the political front to their own morbid aggrandizement. None of the organizations are interested in organizing seminars to sensitize the people about the importance of our culture and language. This is too bad for a race that is more than 40millions in population and could be found in virtually the four corners of the globe. I know how many mails I have received from none Igbo people who are willing to learn and know more about Ndiigbo.