Dear Editor,
Please allow me to weigh in on the issue of the abuse of our African brothers and sisters in what appears to be a blatant case of human trafficking.
What is more upsetting is the response proffered by an elected official. How convenient a cover Mr. Weston has resorted to! He is using slavery as a defense.
This is purely idiosyncratic, but based on his missive, I am convinced that there is something untoward, even sinister afoot. Instead of approaching the issue rationally, the goodly gentleman from St. Phillips South has availed himself of the cloak, the safe harbor, the refuge of slavery.
This topic is historical but even more so a very emotional one that is very jarring to all of us. It is seemingly proffered as a ruse, a red herring to avoid the real issues at hand. Here are some questions that come to mind:
Why did the flight arrive under the cloak of darkness?
Why so close to the election?
Why the confusion with accommodations?
Why is Mr. Elabanjo so involved in this matter? If he was just at the airport to assist the visitors, which would be quite admirable, how come he is so knowledgeable of the machinations of the trip from Nigeria to Antigua?
How many passengers will be staying in Antigua and how many will be traveling to other countries in the region?
Where will they be traveling to and when? For those staying in Antigua, where will they be staying and for how long?
Does each traveler have enough money to support themselves for the duration of their desired stay?
Mental Slavery perhaps? There are more questions than answers Minister Weston. What an insult to our ancestors. Using dog whistles on his own people. There are always those among us, willing to sell their own people for trinkets. Be watchful. What a disgrace!
One political philosopher rightly said, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are it is indeed a duck.
In my humble opinion, this flight does not pass the smell test. There seems to be something odious and potentially noxious afoot. Hopefully, a responsible government official will proffer a respectable cogent explanation soon. However, for fear of asphyxiation, I won’t hold my breath!
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Human trafficking indeed. Why is our Immigration Department not doing its job? Elabanjo admits to the fraudulent activities of his people, yet immigration defending them. Weston is full of it!! I wonder what’s in his rice pudding today?
On the one hand these are legitimate questions to ask and receive honest and truthful responses from our leaders and the organizers of this initiative. On the other hand there is a narrative out there that our African brothers and sisters particularly our Nigerian Africans are dishonest humans. So we in turn must be suspicious. We must look at the pros and cons realistically and not just the cons or the pros. Just maybe it is an opportunity to unite with our peoples on the African continent where we were taken from originally and at the same time do some business which may benefit all of us in our nation.
Any word on the Africans’ health statuses? Given that things were so lax and fictitious with their scheduling and accommodation situations, could these strangers be exposing Antiguans to issues that our health system simply isn’t prepared to handle?
We hear about stolen credit cards being used to book accommodations, we should all be concerned and be vigilant!
We like to spew the brother and sister crap, but prople from these African countries who knows are quick to tell you that their parents were never slaves in these parts.
Many of them on the other hand cannot tell you a thing about slavery and the middle passage, because they are not told about it in school. This brother and sister crap, is always used by unscrupulous politicians to pacify the general public whenever there are questions being asked about the lax immigration policy.
You are 100% correct. I can recall arguing with a Nigerian man over a parking space in NYC. He was moving into a building (in a commercial area) that I had just parked my car in front of. It was they way he demanded I move my car as if he owned the street. If he would have asked nicely I would have move my car further away from the building. I remember him calling me a SLAVE and called Antigua piece of rock. (I had an Antiguan flag and some stickers in/on my car). I don’t give a fuk, I don’t like the attitude of Nigerians — No, I don’t know all of them but, the ones I’ve met they are some tribalistic muddah phuckers.
…Please John French II
…you’re always quoting Fanon
…and, his warnings about our Heritage and Culture.
…so, please enlighten Mr. Weston
…the ABLP and Gaston
…about their wanton disregard
…their blatant destruction
…of, Our African Identity
…all over the island.
Jumbee_Picknee
Weston – Minister of Public Not Doing any Works!!
The amount of food you buy on Roman Hill on the weekends can fill up all the potholes in St. Paul’s. Fig Tree drive leads to two major hotels they are deplorable. Buckleys, Swetes, Liberta fix it fix it fix it.
look up ‘Fiasco’ in the dictionary and you will see Antigua Airways. What in the world is going on?! This is breaking so many immigration rules! Jamaicans, Guyanese and other Caribbean brethren living here must be shaking their heads. I also wouldn’t be surprised if other Caribbean prime ministers start calling Gaston because these Nigerians start trying to overstay in their countries and there are mass deportations back to Antigua. Other carribbean countries do not make joke with their immigration laws. A word to the wise is sufficient! This could not happen anywhere else!
When the leader of the opposition party can openly state that they are being brought here to take jobs from legal A&B residents, you know what game is being played. Persons high in his party suggest they are also here to illegally vote. Trump played it (fear mongering) when he first announced his run where he highlighted Mexicans and others. Hard to believe this man’s foundation is Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM). ACLM for those who don’t know was a radical socialist and “Pan-African ( the idea that peoples of African descent have common interests and should be unified)” political party. Now he is playing on xenophobia against Africans in an attempt to get elected.
It hard to believe that Dr. Knight, Luther Lee, Antonison King,Junie Goodwin and others were once part of the proud ACLM that fought against the wicked ALP cabal, but today these people are drinking the red coolaid for a few dollars more.
Very good article and the questions raised about them going on to other destinations should be of grave concern to other OECS , Caribbean, and regional governments , including South Americans. Since Elabanjo stated that several of the went on to St.Kitts and South American after the after the first flight.
These people are surely not tourists. They cannot support themselves. They are actually begging for shelter and cannot support themselves. It’s no fault of their own. We need to rest this squarely on the shoulders of the PM of Antigua and the ministers.
They just like the guilt displayed with the ester crisis, they bombarded the news media, our national television with a bunch of false information. Let the immigration chief come on national TV herself and implicate herself on this illegal nonsense.
They even made an announcement that they put a hold on the next flight that should be arriving in a few days, until they get accommodations ironed out. So government is involved in looking about accommodation for tourists. How absurd!
Antiguans are a traveling public and know what is required to travel. These Africans , fellow humans does not meet any of the criteria and should be picked up by immigration.
That will lead to another problem, when immigration hold them who will be paying for food and accommodation.
I don’t believe they are here to vote . No one could be so blatantly stupid. It’s purely human trafficking to show the electorate that they made a promise of connecting the Caribbean with direct flights to the mother. They did not follow the correct procedures , aviation and otherwise. They are now caught in a web of mess. I believe that Antigua tax payers are subsidizing these flights heavily. I also believe that after elections they are going to try and stop this but it will be too late. They will be coming by air and sea right across the athletic.
Antiguans and Caribbean people our children future are at stake . Guyana watch out Antigua is now the hub to your growing economy and vast lands for illegal African immigrants. The flood gate is open.
Antiguans let’s not wait until after the elections. Let us make this the core of election or re-election. We only have 21 day to settle this contentious issue. It’s a now or never after January 18th.
This issue is going to destroy Antigua. There is nothing else as important in Antiguan recent history. We could end up like Haiti in the blink of an eye.
Please let’s not abuse these African brothers and sisters. They are not at fault. We need to grant them a safe passage back to their native lands. We might have to bite the bullet and pay the cost to do that now . Otherwise the cost later is going to be a million times. Antiguans it’s now or never.
If this is how you talk about experience and the ability to govern. Well Antigua is at a very sad place.
I am not a supporter of Any political party or political organization. I believe up to this point that the ABLP is still going to win the general elections. This issue scares the Hell out of me. Clearly we will not be in a democratic state after the general elections.
Antiguans and Barbudans I implore you to take this issue very, very, very serious..
All I am trying to do is win an election I will do what it takes, if Antiguans to vote on issues UPP the right choice will win, if they to vote on handouts Labour Party should win. 9 years and we have failed the people but we humbly asking for another term of corruption.
I don’t love the citizens of this country I am only concerned about my self enrichment schemes to get richer, but some of them love me and I don’t love and care about them at all.
I have condem the UPP for going to IMF which has a low interest rate but I have over burrowed from numerous entity and put this country in serious debts. I still owe workers monies and have called the election, if I win I will wait till next election to give them another fraction.
I am friends with alot of corrupt people and I hope my corruption don’t catch up to me.
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