F
or decades Nigerian mi-
grants have left their country
- both legally and illegally
- hoping to escape poverty,
conflict, and corruption.
Those traveling without proper
documents faced several risks, in-
cluding hunger and thirst, robbery,
and the dangers of sea crossings into
Europe. If caught, Nigerian migrants
can be detained and eventually de-
ported from their destination or
transit countries.
The Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew
Hassan Kukah, told Crux that migra-
tion is “the ultimate manifestation of
our state of despair.”
The bishop said the story of Africa
is the story of a very irresponsible
elite that has shown no commitment
to redeeming its people.
“It is difficult not to cover our fac-
es in shame because we can find no
explanation for the lack of commit-
ment to ridding our people of hun-
ger, illiteracy, destitution and despair.
Our successive leaders have stashed
our resources abroad and reduced us
to the state we are in now,” he said.
At the same time, while not com-
menting on the specifics of the Unit-
ed States, Kukah said a border wall
- like that endorsed by President
Donald Trump – would be a good
idea for Nigeria.
“For me as a Nigerian, I would glad-
ly recommend walls especially for
the northern parts of Nigeria where
thousands of murderers, bandits and
outlaws have invaded and claimed
the lives of hundreds of citizens, de-
stroyed hundreds of communities
and so on,” the bishop said.
