A Nigerian voice in Europe
By PAUL OHIA, 06.06.2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009

The European Union (EU) is defined as an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe and the EU parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the EU. It has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world.



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So how can a Nigerian find himself aspiring to be elected into this parliament when his country of origin is not one of the 27 member states and also not located in Europe? Far from being a fairy tale, Czech Republic-based Nigerian, Raymond Asuquo has started campaigning to be elected into this legislative body and his qualification for this goal stem from the fact that he has lived in this country that was recently admitted into the EU for 19 years.

Asuquo's candidacy has been celebrated by the Prague Post, a Czech Newspaper as a New Voice in Brussels and the candidate himself has promised to serve as a voice for the minority including the tiny Nigerian community in Czech Republic.

However, keen observers see his possible ascendancy to the EU parliament as an avenue that could be explored by the Nigerian government to push forward its agenda in the chamber of this powerful legislative body despite the fact that he was not elected by the country.

Czech pundits are already talking about his possible success at the polls by comparing him to the President of the United States, Barack Obama who rose as a minority to become the leader of the most powerful country in the world.

Asuquo who speaks fluent Czech, English, Austrian German, Dutch and three Nigerian languages says his priority would be to give back to the republic what it gave to him on arrival. “I owe the Czech Republic for my training and new home. I feel like it is a debt that I would like to at least partially repay.”

On how he got to the European country, Asuquo said that when he was 27 years and was working as a petroleum inspector on board a ship on the Nigerian coast that checked the quality and quantity of crude oil before export, he came into his office one day to find a letter which stated that he got a scholarship in the former Czechoslovakia.

“So I packed my things and told the director that I was going to study,” he said. He was lucky to be released by the organisation he worked for. But information came from Czechoslovakia that he had missed the deadline. Luckily for him again, the company demonstrated generosity and took him back. Some weeks later, he received another message that he could still go and study, prompting him to grab the offer in November 1984.

He worked in a number of European countries after his studies but finally decided to settle in Moravia, Czech Republic. The decision was made together with his wife. "My wife and I know the trials in Prague and we have spent twenty one years together, and she comes from the Moravian town of Spa.

The EU parliamentary aspirant believes that he can work anywhere having been equipped linguistically and professionally. He admits that whenever he is in Vienna and sees how many Africans are living there even with the presence of  African restaurant, he feels sad that in the Czech Republic there are very few Africans.

Asuquo, who is running as a candidate of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) from his home in B_eclav, South Moravia, said he has often been confronted with racist remarks which made him abandon his jobs in the past. According to him, when he worked as a leading researcher in Chemopetrol, Litvinov he resigned because of racist remarks from co-workers. He even decided to quit his residence in an area called Litvinov and that was how he found himself in Moravia which is a lot more open and accepting of foreigners.

On how he handles these encounters, Asuquo has a laissez faire attitude towards racism, comparing it to other extremist views in the world “I am not denying anyone the right not to like blacks. There probably is a reason and such attitudes have their roots somewhere. Even some skinhead advocates when they protest against people with a different colour, can voice their opinion to the world even if it's dark. Some may not be happy that others are black but they must leave them (blacks) alone to do their work.”

The South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic is a very traditional region of wine making and farming populated by Christian Democrats and conservative values. On his overriding political philosophy, he said that when he was in Nigeria he already had right-wing tendencies. He added that he had experienced socialism and believes that the state can not pretend to know better what the people want for themselves, and that it is good to give individuals the opportunity to take their own decisions.

“I would like my candidacy to show that the minorities in the Czech Republic have a lot to contribute to the development of the country where they live,” Asuquo said. "If eventually I am elected into the European Parliament, I would like to fight for minority rights, equal chances and opportunities, and shared responsibilities.”

The Czech Statistical Office records only around 380 Nigerians living throughout the country. Small as their numbers are, there are signs the Nigerian population is seeking greater visibility and a more active role within Czech society. Besides Asuquo's campaign, the Nigerian community is now establishing a grass-roots organization called the Association of Nigerians in Czech, which aims to help integrate newcomers into the greater Czech society and to lobby for the return of a Nigerian Embassy.

The Czech Republic has not had a Nigerian Embassy since its consul Michael Lekara Wayid was shot dead in February 2003. A local pensioner, Ji_í Pasovsk_, was convicted for the murder, which was reportedly motivated by the loss of his life savings in a financial scam by a Nigerian group.

"One of the things we want to do is to brand Nigeria the way it truly is," Prague resident Michael Olayemi Olawepo, who is running for presidency of the new association, told Prague Post. Olawepo, who came to the country as an information technology student eight years ago, said there is a wide spectrum of Nigerians living in the Czech Republic - those who study and work legally  as well as illegal immigrants. All could benefit from supporting one another and having a collective voice, he said.

Asuquo's EP candidacy may be seen as an inspiration for Nigerians and other immigrants to become more involved in the country where they now live, Olawepo said, adding that it also indicates the Czech Republic is becoming more receptive to minorities. “It means [the Czech Republic] has actually gone a long way. It says a lot, but we'd like to see more,” he said. "We'd like to see minorities in the Czech police and the army, in the public services and so on.”

According to Asuquo, native Czechs have reacted positively so far to his campaign, and are accepting of foreigners in general. “The fact that many immigrants including Nigerians and West Africans are coming to Czech Republic shows that the country is receptive to foreigners," he said. “Any country aspiring to make money from tourism cannot afford not to be hospitable to foreigners, whether they are Africans or Asians.”

Asuquo came to the Czech Republic in 1984 at the age of 27 on a scholarship for the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology. He became a Czech citizen in 2002, and is the CEO and director of business development for mineral supplier Zeopol Ltd. Asuquo said engaging in politics is nothing new for him; he has been involved in the local politics of B_eclav ever since he joined the ODS in 2001 and ran, albeit unsuccessfully, for the EP in 2004.

This time around, he hopes that with his knowledge, experience and exposure, he can contribute to the development of the Czech Republic at the European Union. Within the Nigerian community, reaction to Asuquo's candidacy is mixed, and Asuquo himself acknowledges that some Nigerians and other Africans whom he has approached have received the news of his campaign with reserved neutrality.