Hundreds of Niger nationals, mostly women and children, have flooded into neighbouring Nigeria in search of food, officials and residents said on Friday.

"We are aware of the recent influx of people from Niger into some parts of (southern) Katsina State," Sani Makana, the state agriculture commissioner told AFP by phone from the state capital Katsina.

The number of of Niger nationals in northern Katsina state, which shares a land border with Nigeria, has soared in the past two months, residents said.

Makana said some were so desperate they had been forced to beg door-to-door.

"It is a pathetic sight. They just have nothing to live on and have to beg to eat," said Katsina resident, Abubakar Shehu.

"When you ask them why they came here they tell you that they were starving in Niger,  and would die if they stayed," Shehu said.

According to the United Nations around 7.8 million Nigeriens are in need of food, out of the around 10 million affected by a crisis in the Sahel region.

A Nigerian immigration officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said there was little his officials could do to stop the influx.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100521/wl_africa_afp/nigerianigerpovertyfooddrought

Are they planning another population census?

Just another way for the North to invite their brothers from Niger and Chad to add to their population.

We all know a lot of the so called Northerners are from Chad and Niger. So pathetic. Aboki na Aboki wherever u find em. I'm sure they will count them and their goats during the next census to boost their low population. lol

It would be nice to invade their country and dig up and sell their uranium, buy them food in return for their independence, and build a giant wall between us and them.

strangleyo:

It would be nice to invade their country and dig up and sell their uranium, buy them food in return for their independence, and build a giant wall between us and them.

lmao!

strangleyo:

It would be nice to invade their country and dig up and sell their uranium, buy them food in return for their independence, and build a giant wall between us and them.

I pity them sha,

strangleyo:

It would be nice to invade their country and dig up and sell their uranium, buy them food in return for their independence, and build a giant wall between us and them.

What are you talking about? Can Nigeria dig up its own coal, gold, oil and all the other resources properly? All these countries that surround us are begging for leadership which by default falls on Nigeria because of our size. In substance, however, we don't show it until there is some crisis and it is too late. If Nigeria developed a sound agricultural system we would spread it in the subregion to our and their benefit.

We need to remember that at the bottom of all these are individual lifes. They are looking for food and water in a crisis! Don't make fun of their predicament since your response reflects on your inner self.

Lets change our orientations and the way we view/value life and start to assist people that are in need even without them asking us for help. These said people have no other option than to seek for refuge in Nigeria cos they perceive us as their rich big brother. Even Zimbabweans seeked and are still seeking for refuge in South Africa cos of the high inflation rate in their country. Did South Africa criticize the refugees? No, they criticized the govt of Mugabe and not the people. @poster, ask yourself wat if you find yourself in need of something and later turned down by your elder brother to assist you when you know that he has the capacity to assist you, What will you do?.

WATCH !!!!!

Ingenious Girl musician - young fulani girl getting her hustle on singing songs-


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlM9CKQUEho

will you not give her money? lol

Nobody cares in the north.Btw it didnt start today

sjeezy8:

WATCH !!!!!

Ingenious Girl musician - young fulani girl getting her hustle on singing songs-

[flash=400,300]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlM9CKQUEho[/flash]

will you not give her money? lol

LWKMD!!! Na for the girl to find producer now o!

What more can i say except that God should please come to their rescue!

Gbam!

naijamini:

What are you talking about? Can Nigeria dig up its own coal, gold, oil and all the other resources properly? All these countries that surround us are begging for leadership which by default falls on Nigeria because of our size. In substance, however, we don't show it until there is some crisis and it is too late. If Nigeria developed a sound agricultural system we would spread it in the subregion to our and their benefit.

We need to remember that at the bottom of all these are individual lifes. They are looking for food and water in a crisis! Don't make fun of their predicament since your response reflects on your inner self.

A nation that can hardly feed its citizens playing father christmas

its sad, really sad, but hunger knows no borders

I thank God for what he's done in my life as a nigerian

arkinses:

LWKMD!!! Na for the girl to find producer now o!

careful!
Yerima may be watching, you dont want to endanger a future grammy awardee!

I wish that girl finds good luck

kai men when u think ur suffering u dont realise u are lucky.cant imagine having noo food at all

Taking dis pple in is not right at all. I look at them in the streets and all I see is pontential dangers to national security in the long-run. Is it not the same touts from Niger that are mercenaries fueling chaos in Jos. They will soon start agitating for lands and contensting elections. Say they are hungry but their reproduction rates in my state for example is alarming. Govt is really sleeping on dis. Crap!

Colomb,
I think you do have an idea of the likely aftermath. However, I do have some naive questions that need answers:

1. Can an "average" Nigerian cross the borders into any neighbouring country without some kind of identification?
2. What is the population of Nigerians residing in Niger, excluding the embassy/high commission staff?
3. Is it possible for a government to protect her borders from uncontrolled entry by immigrants?
4. Does Nigeria as of today have Immigration personnel at major entry points along its borders?
5. Is there any form of economic backlash as to the increasing and uncontrolled influx of these people?
6. If so, how soon before we see the effects? Is it going to help government?
7. Will it be better for the government to have them in relief camps along the borders or, best leave them roaming all over the country.
8. The kid beggars seem to have learnt fast; do they have teachers guiding them on how to conduct themselves so as to appeal to the average Nigerian who is perpetually trying to earn a living.
9. Why are the adult men amongstthem not begging like some of our Nigerain handicaps?
10. Do they have temporary shelters here while begging, and who provides these shelters for them?
11. Do they have to save in Niger to get their transport fare all the way from the boundary to Yenagoa, or Warri?
12. How did they know which cities are likely to yield more, considering the population, class, religion, cultures, language, industries, and history?
13. Do they have to pay their way in and out?

It is human to be sympathetic to fellow humans with absolute disregard for geographical origin; however, if we have to pull a splinter of wood from the neighbours´ eyes, leaving a log in our eyes . . . then we have got a lot on our hands.

Remember, the last two years have not been too good economically for us and the world at large: we need to be cautious with how much and how far we really want to commit ourselves. Organisation is what we need, and in time too!

The option they have is to merge the Northern part of Nigeria with Niger republic. They are Hausa people too. The north parth is more fertile than the Niger republic side. So if they join the North to them. Those people could have access to land.
And remove the yorubas, edo,delta into Benin republic.
or the second map.

2

The sympathizers need to understand the consequences of accepting illegal immigrants to this society. The government needs to deport them immediately and provide aid directly to their government to help its own people.

I don't like those maps. That adds to the northern population.

Let us add the part of Nigeria that was ceded to Cameroon. Or let us just add Cameroon, because the people of Cameroon have similar cultures with the Igbo and other Eastern people.

To an american such activity is illegal and unacceptable. This also applies to other countries. But in nigeria things are different when people say's A nigerians goes B. I dont know when nigerians will stop such high level of idiosycracies and start acting like a country if they (niger), are in need off food how does it bother's us. Today we are good samaritans tomoro they strike us with their maliness in all ramification in times of trouble lets epitomizes the JOS crisis as a good example of the aftermath. The appropriate step is to carry out definate measures by sending this people back to their country. If they are hungry let their government provide food for them or simple if nigerian government wants to show sympathy let them send relief or aid envoy and not necessarily giving out much efficacy to wats does not deserve efficacy. Rubbish i cant stand such Juvenile deliquency this country shows at times!

you're right in a way, but not everyone's guilty,what of the poor-innocent people who do not have anything to do
with Jos or violence against Nigeria, they shoud be favoured too,

let their hausa brothers help them, besides, they were part of the nigerian northerners untill those greedy brits came and drew lines, ad split the same people between two countries

the day we stop loving each other is the day we stop being humans, we cant start having RACISM between africans in a time when we need to come together!!!

@ makinz for such innocent ones they have to go too am sorry for them but in trying to fight the bad the good must be affected. Take example mutallab yes he wanted to bomb that airliner not us or we nigerians then while should the states putt much eyes on us even calling us terrorist all for one man in which beside we never educate him. So this is justice. You see when you start giving such impunity there's great aftermath effect. Tell me will nigerians go in in such way illegally into any country without been sent back. Please lets look up to our fear and start removing that stainfull batch on us. After all the are hausas let their hausas leader or i will say hausas kleptocrats give them help!

i do seem to remember some of those kids [and their mothers] speak very good yoruba, come to think of it.


i wonder where they learnt the language [are they from kwara]?

the girl's pronunciation "conc" pass mine sef.

na original "ijinle yoruba" she dey yarn.

the govt needs to rehabilitate these kids and send them to school, btw.