Food crisis in Nigeria

Nigeria currently faces a devastating food crisis. Drought and an invasion of desert locusts have caused substancial shortages in both crops and grazing land, causing a 225,000-tonne grain deficiency in the 2004–2005 harvest that threatens close to 3,000 villages, and affects some 3.5 million people in the region.

Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), has provided a total of $18.6 million to help fight malnutrition and hunger in the Sahel region of Africa (Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania).

The plight in Nigeria has tugged at the heartstrings of many people across our great nation. The Canadian Visa office, located in Lagos, assists Nigerians who want to come to Canada to study or work temporarily. Nigerians wanting to immigrate to Canada must contact the immigration section of the Canadian High Commission in Accra, Ghana.

The Canadian Government operates a full-service visa and immigration office in Accra serving the following countries and territories: Ascension, Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea (refugees), Liberia, Nigeria (permanent residents), São Tomé and Principe, Sierra Leone, St. Helena, Togo, Tristan da Cunha.

For those of you who wish to learn more about the current crisis afflicting Nigeria please visit Reliefweb.