UN, ECOWAS alert on one million stateless persons in Nigeria, others

Published: 18/Oct/2019
Source: Guardian (Abuja)

By Joke Falaju, Abuja

The United Nations (UN) and Economic Community of West Africa, States (ECOWAS) has urged government of member countries, civil societies and other regional partners to join in the campaign against statelessness in the region.

This followed disclosure that the region has an estimated 1million persons without nationality in Nigeria and other West African countries.

Statelessness they argued mean a life without education, without medical care or legal employment, a life without the ability to move freely, without prospects or hope, as they are often denied the rights and services that countries normally offer their citizens.

To check statelessness in the country, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) harped on the need to systematically develop a databank to generate data on the cause of statelessness, persons at risk of statelessness and develop strategies to reduce the menace.

Read further: https://guardian.ng/news/un-ecowas-alert-on-one-million-stateless-persons-in-nigeria-others/

Themes: Statelessness
Regions: West Africa, Nigeria
Year: 2019