Economic Recession: Nigerian City Dwellers Forced To Move Back To Their Villages

As the current economic crisis bites harder on Nigeria, Africa’s former giant, many city dwellers have been relocating from the big cities to their villages or rural communities to survive the harsh time.

Findings show that the high cost of accommodation and feeding have been responsible for the recent increase in the migration of people from cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja to less expensive communities.

It was also learnt that some of the reasons for the relocation where because of the need to get cheap land for farming!

For instance, a retired federal civil servant in Abuja, Mr. Dairo Olorunfemi, said he had to relocate recently with his family to his village, Aramoko-Ekiti, as the Federal Capital Territory was becoming too expensive for them.

He said, “Abuja has always been an expensive place to live in but we had been coping till this recent administration came into power. Things are now too expensive and if I continue to live there, I will spend all my life savings trying to keep up.

“I had to relocate my whole family back to my hometown in Ekiti where I bought a vast portion of land at an affordable price and I am trying to start a farm. At first, it was not easy to adjust, especially with the children but now, we are doing fine.”

Also, a furniture maker, Ebuka Ejiofor, who formerly resided in Lagos, relocated to Umuagwo in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State because he could no longer cope with city life.

He said, “My family left Lagos and relocated to Imo State some weeks ago because things were becoming unbearable for us.

“It was getting to difficult to provide three square meals for my family so I had to move.”

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Source: Punch