2015 Polls: Mass Exodus Of Non-indigenes Hits Niger

DESPITE repeated appeal and assurance by the Niger state government of protection of lives and properties in the state, mass exodus of people, mostly non-indigenes has hit the state as people continue to relocate to their home states.

 The situation is not unconnected with the build up to this month general elections. The current political tension in the country and the spate of attacks on different campaign trains of political parties have sent jittery to Nigerians. They are entertaining fear of the possible fall out of the polls in the event that some would feel aggrieved and resort to violence.

 The violent that trailed the 2011 presidential election where dozens of people were killed, while several other maimed and property worth millions of Naira destroyed mostly in the Northern part of the country is behind the mass movement of people from the state.

  Although Niger state remains one of the most peaceful states in the entire North, the ugly experience of non-indigenes in some parts of the North, where violent reaction to issues have made the people prone to attack equally informed the decision of these people to relocate.

 The only time the state witnessed a political violence was in 1983, during the National Party Nigeria (NPN) and Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) where over 100 people believed to members of the then NPP were burnt to ashes in Kuta, in Shiroro local government area when they were returning from a campaign rally.

  The peace of the state was further tested in 2012 during the fuel subsidy removal where government structures and property including that of prominent individuals were destroyed.

  However, since December this year, business and commercial activities in the state has been at lowest ebb as most non-indigenes have either refused to return from the Christmas break or relocated to their states.

Prominent in this mass exodus are Nigerians from the Southeast, South South and Southwest who are always the objects of attack anytime things don’t go the way of the hoodlums.  Also in the same boat are some Yoruba from the Southwest.

 In Minna, the state capital for example, major motor parks have continued to experience serious human activities since the Yuletide period and just last week, many commuters were seen loading their belongings into trailers and luxury buses at Sabon-gari motorpark ostensibly heading to the Southeast.

  Items like chairs, beds, mattresses, wardrobes, stoves, pots and other household effects in their large numbers were seen at the park ready for evacuation down south.

  Also, a visit by our correspondent to the Minna Ultramodern Kure market shows that most of the shops are under locks and key as the owners are either said to have refused to return home from the Christmas celebration or have left the state.

  Mr. Samson Ugochukwu a provision seller in the Minna metropolis told our correspondent that what is delaying him is money being owed him by his customers. He said as a matter of fact whatever happened before February 12, he must leave Minna.

 While defending his decision to leave Mr. Felix Nnamdi, a building material dealer recalled the crisis that brought him to Minna from Jos. He recalled in tears how he lost his beloved wife when hoodlums attacked his house after the November 2008 local government election in Plateau state.

  He vowed never to witness such calamity again in his life. He has already packed his belongings, ready to leave before the election!

  Unfortunately however, the mass movement of people is only out of the state as one Mohammed Umar, a bus driver at the Minna Central motor park told our correspondent that people coming into the town are the normal passengers.

 He said there is nothing like mass influx of people into the state unlike the volume of passengers that leave the town on a daily bases since the last two weeks.

 Governor Mu ‘azu Babangida Aliyu had earlier called on the people not to be afraid of any crisis over the 2015 elections as he assured of adequate security before, during and after the elections.

  He told the traditional rulers in the state to employ themselves in their God – given service to reduce growing tension over fears of crisis in the 2015 election.

 “All apprehensions for violence will not be seen once we learn to accept whatever outcome of result we get, knowing that God decides who wins. It is however our duty to tell our children to be law abiding and to stay away from acts that will lead to violence.

 “We therefore call on our traditional leaders to remind their subjects that the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct, hence above individual interest”.

 Equally at the Redeem Church in Minna, during an award presentation to him, Governor Aliyu expressed concern over the exodus of non-indigenes from the state in an apparent fear of the aftermath of next month general elections, pleading that the mass movement out of the state should stop while assuring of adequate security and protection of lives and property of all Nigerians resident in the state.

  He recalled with dismay that many people had created more problems for themselves in the past trying to run away from their abode in election period adding that “I appeal to you not to run away from Minna, and other parts of the state because of the coming election”.