Nigerian Remittance and the Morons who cried Racism

There’s no two ways of putting it, Noel Grealish TD was, and is right. No matter how many times the conceited moral guardians of Ireland’s political circus tell you otherwise, this fact is undeniable. He’s not a racist (whatever that means nowadays), he’s just correct.

The numbers and their consequences presented by Mr. Grealish have already been analysed by others, so I will not cover the same ground here. However, what has not been covered adequately are the completely absurd accusations being leveled at Mr. Grealish, mostly by the crusties of Irish society. 

First, let us examine the accusations that Mr. Grealish has falsified the numerical values of remittance leaving the country, for Nigeria or otherwise.

I cannot stress this enough. These accusations are completely false.

In Mr. Grealish’s address to the Dáil he cited data gathered by the World Bank, and more specifically by the ‘Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development’, or KNOMAD for short. These figures are available from the KNOMAD website here. I want to stress here that this data was not gathered by some obscure crypto-fascist think tank, but by one of the leading sources for economic statistics in the world.

However, this data has been contested by our internationalist national government. Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe hit back at the TD who has stepped out of the multicult line, saying that the actual figure for remittances sent to Nigeria was €17 million, compared to the €539 million listed by KNOMAD.

However, at this point it must be said that Noel Grealish is vindicated. He did his due diligence in citing a reputable source, and did not misrepresent their data in the slightest. The question is no longer whether Mr. Grealish is correct, but which of either The World Bank or Central Statistics Office is more accurate.

The progressive quangos of course will want to make you believe it’s our CSO. According to the Irish Times, the World Bank’s data has been problematic before, with them blaming the discrepancy on Ireland’s warped GDP. Meanwhile, they say the following about the CSO’s figures: 

“The CSO have said their methodology is in line with international best practice. They base their estimates on data from the revenue commissioners which shows how much foreign nationals earn. They use that to estimate disposable income, and then from that they calculate a likely remittance amount.”

However, what our friends at the Irish Times don’t say is that both KNOMAD and the World Bank make the exact opposite claim. In their FAQ section, KNOMAD say the following about remittance statistics:

“Most central banks measure remittances based on data from money transfer companies, which capture only a sub-component of what they report to the IMF for the Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook.”

And the World Bank say the following (Appendix A):

“Some central banks use remittance data reported by commercial banks, but do not adequately capture flows through money transfer operators (MTOs), post offices, and emerging channels such as mobile money transfers. Even when data are available and properly classified, in some cases, these data are out of date.”

Furthermore, the World Bank clearly state that, while they do have to forecast part of their numbers due to the point in time they compile their statistics, they gather the majority of their data empirically. 

Compare this to the extremely flawed method the CSO use, which basically comes down to them guessing based on the average income of the demographic they’re examining, and we have decent reason to believe that it is the World Bank who are more likely to be closer to the mark.

I would also be remiss to mention the complete lack of oversight in regards to remittance in general. In the very same ‘Fact Check’ article that the Irish Times claim that the CSO are more reliable than the World Bank, they also admit that money remittance firms are ‘high risk’ in regards to organized crime. Western Union is specifically named for not having ‘sufficiently robust policies and procedures for anti-money laundering and for countering the financing of terrorism’ according to the Central Bank.

Furthermore, both the CSO and World Bank statistics do not take into account at all funds that have been remitted through less than legal channels. Looking specifically at Nigeria, an unlimited amount of currency in cash can be brought into the country by passengers of air travel as long as they declare it upon arrival.

Worst case scenario, Mr. Grealish has exposed a massive hole in our knowledge of our own economy. A charitable interpretation of the above information must come to the conclusion that, at the very least, we have no clue how much money is really leaving the country through remittance, whether it be to Nigeria or otherwise. However, I would wager that the likelihood is that the World Bank’s figures are far more accurate than the CSO’s, and, as such, that Mr. Grealish is right on the money.

Which brings us to the second kind of accusation leveled at the TD, those of racism. 

Leaving to one side the dogmatic over-usage of the word in today’s age, the more empirical of these accusations are completely unfounded. Some of the most comical of these accusations by far have been those leveled by academic ‘Race Relations Consultant’ Dr. Ebun Joseph. Her claim is that Mr. Grealish is suggesting we ‘racially profile’ ‘black money’. This is the same Dr. Joseph who has also reported that up to 63% of Africans in Ireland are unemployed. Combining this fact with the huge yearly remittances sent to Africa should at least give one pause for thought.

It is also worth mentioning that we already do discriminate on money transfers based on where it is being sent to. In fact, financial institutions are mandated by EU law to discriminate against transfers to ‘high risk’ countries. Perhaps Dr. Joseph believes this to also be problematic. If so, she should start with the EU before moving on to Mr. Grealish.

In conclusion, it is clear that Noel Grealish TD is willing to question the sacred cow of diversity, progress and equality, and he has as a result become the target of ideological  accusations of bigotry and racism. The information he presented in the Dáil is backed by a major international institution, information that we have reason to believe is more accurate than that gathered by our own CSO. Furthermore, the very fact there is a discrepancy in the data at all is enough reason to bring it in front of the representatives of the lower house.

The accusations of racism in this regard at best can be seen as a Pavlovian knee-jerk reaction, and at worst dangerously careless, as they carry the risk of potentially covering up the crimes of certain nationals and non-nationals. Considering the presented information, I would hope that those accusing Mr. Grealish of such nonsense come to their senses, snap out of their ideological paralysis, and move on to tackle the actual issues facing the Irish people. Issues such as homelessness and overcrowding, and to be able to face up these national obligations like the adults they supposedly are.