Even though they didn't say it, this was the section dedicated to Nigerians. Panorama had a passport special, where journalist Shahida Tulaganova, set out on a quest to illegally obtain all 25 EU passports. Four of them came via the trusty hands of Nigerians in Barcelona. The aim of Panorama was to expose the laxity of UK border security, and show how it easy it is to obtain dodgy passports - on these fronts, the programme is an astonishing piece of work. However, I've said before that I don't believe in borders, which for me, automatically voids the righteousness of the programme.
The Nigerians shown were engaged in illegal activity, no doubt, but one almost has to admire their ingenuity. The link man, Collins (once again, why the subtitles?), was an articulate, knowing man, who in another life would have been running his own legitimate business. But as Nigerians say, na condition make crayfish bend, and this particular crayfish has to bend to the ebbs and flows of the Barcelona underworld.
You can watch the programme in full via the Panorama website, but before then, watch and enjoy Nigeria's cameo appearance:
9 comments:
I saw it as well. When I heard the guy's name 'collins' I knew instictively he is Nigerian. I was quite impressed with Shahida Tulaganova... u need to be brave to do something like that. About the border issue...well, will leave it for another day.
I disagree that this episode of panorama was directedly solely at Nigerians. I watched it when it first aired and the impression i got was europeans trying to get into the UK posing as citizens of EU member countries.Granted Shahida got some of her 20 fake passports from Nigerians but then again she got some from people of other nationalities, one of whom duped her and another threatened her with a knife. I think we Nigerians are overly-sensitive about issues like this, immediately thinking that such programs are directed at us. I doubt a Nigerian can pose as a Latvian. This program was mainly to show that the large influx of EU immigrants is partly caused by the aquisition of these fakes passports.
Missquote, I think you misunderstand me. And that's entirely my fault. The 8 minute extract I put up is the bit dedicated to Nigerian identity fradsters, not the whole programme.
i agree. i don't believe in borders, and i can't help admiring the ingenuity of 419-ers, although i don't agree with making a lifestyle of theivery. In the big scheme of things, I get much more worked up about the visa sections of the American/British/et al. embassys turning down the visas of perfectly respectable people--like a newly-wed friend of mine who cannot join her husband in the UK--or like a lot of professors and university lecturers who got turned down to attend a conference i helped organize-- than people forging passports.
Not again mennn....I don tire...
Nice post
they use subtitle for most people anyway, the thing is that we nigerians are more likely to understand it as (almost)perfect but some others dont actually get it, i have watched nigeria films(the good ones) with friends and they just dont get it
'na condition make crayfish bend' - ha ha ha - i haven't heard that one before!
WHAT IS A SHADIDA TRYING TO PROVE, IMPRESS THE BRITISH?. WHERE WAS SHE FROM. IF THE ABODE SHE LEFT BEHIND IN UZBEKISTAN OR WHEREVER SHE CAME FROM THAT GOOD WHAT IS SHE DOING IN THE UK. THE FUNNY THING IS SHE THINKS SHE'S BRITISH ALREADY HELPING TO PROTECT THE UK BORDERS. DOES SHE KNOW HOW MANY OF HER KINSMEN CROSS THE BORDER EVERYDAY DOING THE SAME THING.NOBODY GIVES A HOOT ABOUT HER.
Anonymous, behave yourself. The programme wasn't about Shahida, she was mere a conduit for the story. She was simply a journalist testing a hypothesis about the security of the UK's borders. She can't defend the UK's borders, as she's not an immigration officer. But as a journalist, she can do is see whether a government's claim to having secure borders is true. Being of foreign descent is obviously integral to the story.
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