A 27-year-old man, Obehi Diamond who was among those that were recently deported from Libya has rejected the allowance by the Edo state governor, Godwin Obaseki.

Earlier Obaseki had promised to give the Libya returnees a monthly allowance of N20,000 and also organised a training for them

In his account, however, the 27-year-old said what he needs is neither the N20,000 allowance nor the training as he had already acquired professional training before time. He asserted that all that he needs now are tools to start a new life.

Obehi, narrating his ordeal mentioned that he was doing well in Libya and believes it’s a good place for anybody to start a business. He said was tricked to Libya after a woman who promised to help him get to Europe duped him. But fortunately for him, he acquired a skill that made him venture into a business which thrived.

He stated, “I left Nigeria in 2012. I paid money for flight but the women betrayed me and took me by land to Libya. I paid her N520,000 in 2011. She kept on promising me that I will soon leave. She later asked me to go to Libya that there was somebody to receive me until I will leave for Europe. When I got to Libya, Richard told me I could not travel by air because there is no government in Libya.

“I started working in Libya and earning 1,500 dinars every month but Richard was collecting 1000 dinars every month from the money. He kept collecting money from me for four months.

“I later told him that I cannot be working and he will be collecting the money. Richard told my boss to stop paying me. He told me to leave his house and I started sleeping in the street inside abandoned vehicles. I later met a boy who took me to his house in a mechanic workshop. I got a job somewhere and was earning 2000 dinars. From there I was sending money to my parents in Nigeria to take care of themselves. My friend found a job for me in Tripoli and I was working well.

“In 2014, I was going to take a measurement for a job,  some policemen stopped the vehicle I was in. I was the only black in it. After interrogation, they tore my papers. I spent eight months in four different prisons. I got a phone to call my friend and he told me to look for a policeman to bail me out.

“In Libya, there is no lawyer to bail you. A policeman helped me out and I paid him 120,000 dinars. I started working again in Tripoli until 2016 when a fight started. I found another place to work in downtown due to fighting in Tripoli. After a month, I asked my boss to calculate the money and it was 4000 dinars. He wanted to pay me 600 dinars and I refused. I stopped the work because I am a professional. I could get work easily because people used to call me for work. The man pursued me and said I must work for him. He took thugs to pursue me and for my safety, I decided to work for 600 dinars.”

Obehi explained that after spending few years in Libya, he was no longer looking for a greener pasture in Libya since he had all he needs for a comfortable life. He believes it is the best country for a young person to work and make headways.

He said, “When I was arrested in Tripoli, I spent 15 months in prison before I was deported.  I was not planning to go to Europe. In Libya, there is work. Libya is the best country in the area of money and work. There is no country to compare to Libya. The problem is the lack of government. Libya is the best place for a young man to work and survive. There is money in Libya if you are a good workman. There is future in Libya for those that are not lazy.”

However, Obehi also x-rayed the hazards of living in the country where there are no means of transferring money to other states and no effective government.

He stated, “Since 2015, there were no means to send money home. Libyans know that we blacks do keep money at home. When they caught me, they went to my house to collect my money. They took my property. I lost everything. They took huge money from me. My fiancée is still in prison in Libya. I am expecting her to be brought back soon. If I had come home with that money, I would not have depend on government to help me, I will just open my shop immediately.”

Naming what exactly he wants the Government to do for him, he said, “The training from Obaseki is out of point. I don’t want to undergo any training here in Edo. If I have my money, I will go to Lagos and start working immediately. I cannot collect N20,000 monthly from Obaseki. That is no money. That is what I work in Libya in two days. I don’t need any training. What I need is money to start off

“If the state government help me to open my shop, I will not think of travelling again. The pattern of aluminum work in Libya is different so I had to learn from an Egyptian.

“There is nobody that goes to Libya that does not have skills except the Benin boys. The Benin boys are lazy. I don’t play with my work when I was in Libya even on Fridays.”