It was meant to be a week of reunion to catch lost times between two lovebirds, but it turned out sour.
Oke Osharode and his wife had lived separately for a while, but in May 2012, they decided to have a reunion in Boa Vista, one of the ten islands in Cape Verde.
Mr Osharode flew from Lagos May 4 and was to connect to Boa Vista two days later after stopovers in Dakar and Praia, capitals of Senegal and Cape Verde. His wife was to land on the island from the UK the same day.
“Her own flight from the UK and the hotel cost was £1,223,” Mr Osharode told PREMIUM TIMES, providing details of their travel schedule.
He had booked an economic double room in an all inclusive hotel in Boa Vista for seven nights. They were poised to have fun.
The Nigerian, who currently resides in the UK, said the journey turned on its head when he arrived in Praia May 5, and he was picked out by immigration officials for questioning.
“They inquired of a cash BTA (basic travel allowance). I presented my all inclusive hotel and flights booked and fully paid plus €150 cash and a bank card having €200 equivalent.
“But the officer said he is not sure of the authenticity of my holiday booking and had me locked up in a holding room for removal the next day to Dakar.”
The former microfinance bank official said further efforts to check his papers were not done before he was deported.
In the holding room, he saw more Nigerians who had been detained and barred from entering the archipelago West African country.
“This whole trip was meant to be fun as myself and my wife wanted it as a catch up prior to our family reunion in the UK Unfortunately, it turned sour.
Hotel invoice in Boa Vista
“When my wife got the information, she could not embark on the trip at that time it was too late to seek refunds for her flights and the hotel booked costing us £1,223 plus.”
Out of bounds
When it was clear that the Enyindah Okwakpam, 31, would be travelling out of Nigeria for the first time, he pinched himself to be sure he was not dreaming.
The prospect of having his virgin passport stamped for the first time excited him so much that he began to prepare for the December 2020 vacation to Sao Vicente, another island in Cape Verde, since September.
While he planned, the archipelago neighbour was on lockdown due to the novel coronavirus.
Hit by COVID-19 scare , authorities in the country located in the central Atlantic Ocean, imposed a strict entry ban. This made earnings from tourism and travel-related industry, which account for a quarter of the nation’s GDP,
nosedived.
In 2019 alone, there were some 820,000 registered tourists, for a country with around 500,000 people.
So when the country eased its lockdown in October 2020, not only was it meant to trigger economic rebound, it made Mr Okwakpam jolt with joy.
“I was ready for my trip,” he recalled. “I had €1000 in cash on me and also my bank statement showing my bank balance with more cash.”
By December 12, on board a double-headed flight from Lagos which had a stopover in Casablanca, Morocco, he arrived in Praia the next morning.
The Nigerian who now lives in The Gambia began to smell trouble when he was approached by two female immigration officials who skipped those ahead of him on the screening queue.
“I gave one of them my passport, PCR test and yellow fever card. She immediately returned my PCR test without looking through it. She left with my passport, came back some minutes later and told me to follow her,” Mr Okwakpam said.
Flight ticket on board Royal Air Maroc
At the office, a senior official whose tag bore Edar asked Mr Okwakpam about the purpose of his visit, to which he responded was for tourism and volunteering.
“He said the country wasn’t opened for tourism until January or February of (2021), and for that reason he would send me back immediately.”
His contention of Mr Edar’s submission fell flat.
“He told me that ‘your people come in for schooling, and if you come for that we will let you in. But for tourism, no. We are not open for tourism because of the pandemic.’”
He was deported without his luggage, which he got a week later. Crestfallen, he returned home, but with a resolve to return the following month.
Barred again
On January 8, Mr Okwakpam again flew to Cape Verde. His purpose this time was to work as a volunteer at a not-for-profit.
Enyindah volunteered with Simabo Association
Like before, he had his paperwork prepped, including his return tickets, PCR result, Nigeria police character report.
Proof of police character report
He also had his NIF number (Número de Identificação Fiscal, loosely translated as Foreigner’s Identity Number) which is the tax identity number in Cape Verde.
