Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
1. National Overview
According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the population of Nigeria in 2022 was 216.7 million (UN [2022]). Other sources estimate that the Nigerian population was 225.95 million in 2021 (Encyclopaedia Britannica n.d.) or 225.08 million in 2022 (US 20 May 2022). UNFPA indicates that in 2022 43 percent of the population was aged 14 or under, 54 percent was aged 15 to 64 and 3 percent was aged 65 or older (UN [2022]). According to the Nigeria Living Standard Survey (NLSS), a survey of 22,110 households from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) conducted between September 2018 and October 2019 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 49.2 percent of the surveyed population was male and 50.8 percent was female (Nigeria July 2020, 2, 3, 7). The World Bank cites UNFPA data as indicating that in 2020 51 percent of the population was male (World Bank n.d.a) and 49.3 percent was female (World Bank n.d.b).
A report on religious freedom by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic aid organization founded to support "war refugees" that is "dedicated to the service of Christians around the world" (ACN International n.d.), indicates that in 2021 46.3 percent of the population was Christian, 46.2 percent was Muslim, 7.2 percent were "[e]thnoreligionists," and 0.3 percent followed "other" religions (ACN International 20 Apr. 2021, 1). According to a 2018 estimate from the US CIA World Factbook, 53.5 percent of the population was Muslim, 10.6 percent was Roman Catholic, 35.3 percent followed "other" Christian denominations, and 0.6 percent practiced "other" religions (US 20 May 2022). Minority Rights Group International (MRG) reports that 51 percent of the population practices Islam, 47 percent practices Christianity, and 1 percent practices "traditional religions" (MRG Jan. 2018). The US Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 2020 indicates that "Christians and Muslims reside in approximately equal numbers in the North Central and South West regions," while "[i]n the South East and South South region, where the Igbo ethnic group is dominant, Christian groups, including Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists, constitute the majority" (US 12 May 2021).
An NBS labour force survey covering the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020 found that the national "working age" population, or individuals between 15 and 64 years, was 122,049,400; the population in the labour force, or the number of people "able and willing to work" among the working age population, was 69,675,468; the national number of employed individuals was 46,488,079, including 30,572,440 individuals with full-time employment (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 3). The same survey notes the following national unemployment and underemployment rate among the labour force population in Q4 2020 when compared to the second quarter (Q2) of the same year:
During the reference period, the computed national unemployment rate rose from 27.1% in Q2, 2020 to 33.3% in Q4, 2020, while the underemployment rate decreased from 28.6% to 22.8%. A combination of both the unemployment and underemployment rate for the reference period gave a figure of 56.1%. This means that 33.3% of the labour force in Nigeria or 23,187,389 persons either did nothing or worked for less than 20 hours a week, making them unemployed by our definition in Nigeria. This is an additional 1,422,722 persons from the number in that category in Q2, 2020. Using the international definition of unemployment [1], the rate was computed to be 17.5%. (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 7, 18)
Concerning access to education, a paper by Leena Koni Hoffman, an associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, and Raj Navanit Patel, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, published by Chatham House, "an independent policy institute" and a "forum for debate and dialogue" (Chatham House n.d.), notes that "[t]he education sector in Nigeria is a rich context for bribe solicitation, bribe-giving and extorsion," and "corruption in the education sector of Nigeria is … deeply entrenched and reflective of wider society" (Hoffman and Patel Sept. 2021, 12, 18, 22).
A report on a September 2019 visit to Abuja, Lagos, and Port Hartcourt by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing states that "[t]he housing sector in Nigeria is in complete crisis" and "with housing needs growing at the current rate it would take 55 years to tackle the housing deficit"; additionally, "[t]here is currently no national housing plan or strategy" (UN 3 Jan. 2020, para. 1, 2, 16, 17). The same source also notes that although "[d]omestic jurisprudence has concluded that forced eviction – at least in the context of waterfront communities – is unconstitutional,"
hundreds of thousands of Nigerians, most of them women and children, have been evicted from their homes, often experiencing brutal force (including the lethal use of firearms, arson, arbitrary arrest and assault), which has resulted in deaths, injuries, miscarriages and stillbirths and inflicted unimaginable suffering and trauma among the most vulnerable parts of Nigerian society. Most eviction occur with little or no notice, with no consultation with the communities, with inadequate or no compensation and/or resettlement and result in homelessness and further impoverishment. (UN 3 Jan. 2020, para. 27, 28)
According to the same source, "[e]ven though evictions are often justified by the Government as 'slum upgrading' or 'development' projects, they consistently fail to benefit vulnerable Nigerians and seem to serve mainly the interests of private investors" (UN 3 Jan. 2020, para. 29). Based on their observations during a visit to informal settlements in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt, the same source indicates that the "living conditions [in those areas] constitute[d] an assault on human dignity" (UN 3 Jan. 2020, para. 32).
The US State Department's travel advisory for Nigeria states that "[v]iolent crime – such as armed robbery, assault, carjacking, kidnapping, hostage taking, banditry and rape – is common throughout the country (US 20 Apr. 2022). The same source indicates that "[t]errorists continue plotting and carrying out attacks in Nigeria, especially in the Northeast" (US 20 Apr. 2022). In addition, an April 2020 report on crime and safety in Abuja by the US Department of State's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) notes that "[h]ome invasions remain a threat" and that "[c]ybercrime has become a concern and is becoming more sophisticated" (US 28 Apr. 2020).
For further information on the socio-economic situation in Nigeria at the national level, see Response to Information Request NGA200338 of November 2020.
2. Port Harcourt
Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that Port Harcourt is a "port town and [the] capital of Rivers state, southern Nigeria," and was "[f]ounded in 1912 in an area traditionally inhabited by the Ijo and Ikwere (Ikwerre, Ikwerri) people" (Encyclopaedia Britannica 8 July 2019).
2.1 Demographics
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the population of the urban agglomeration of Port Harcourt was estimated at 2,075,000 in 2016 (Encyclopaedia Britannica 8 July 2019).
2.2 Economic Sectors and Employment Rates
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Port Harcourt "is one of Nigeria's leading industrial centres" (Encyclopaedia Britannica 8 July 2019). The same source also states that there are boatbuilding and fishing industries, as well as fish-freezing facilities in Port Harcourt (Encyclopaedia Britannica 8 July 2019).
The NBS labour force survey for Q4 2020 notes that the working age population of Rivers state was 5,351,856 and 3,940,441 people were in the labour force (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 75). The same survey indicates that the total unemployed population in Rivers state was 1,638,921 and the unemployment rate was 41.59 percent, while the underemployment rate was 17.63 percent (Nigeria Mar. 2021,75).
2.3 Access to Education, Health Care, and Housing
According to a March 2020 article by Vanguard, a newspaper in Nigeria, the education sector quality in Rivers state has improved since 2015, through the upgrading and reconstruction of "about" 100 basic education schools and an increase in the training and retraining of teachers by the state administration (Vanguard 21 Mar. 2020). Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that higher learning institutions in Port Harcourt include the University of Port Harcourt and Rivers State University of Science and Technology (Encyclopaedia Britannica 8 July 2019).
The NBS NLSS found that the average years of education was 8.9 for Lagos state and 8.5 for Rivers state, which were the "highest average years of education" among all the states (Nigeria July 2020, 12, 19) According to the same source, the literacy rate of the population above 5 years in Rivers state was 82.1 percent overall, 85 percent for males and 79.2 percent for females; the gross enrollment rate for both primary and secondary schools was 93.6 percent overall, 92.2 percent for males and 95 percent for females; the population above 6 years who have never attended school was 4.7 percent overall, 2.2 percent for males and 7.1 percent for females (Nigeria July 2020, 14, 21, 27). Further information on access to education in Rivers state and information on access to education in Port Harcourt could not be found among the source consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraint of this Response.
A June 2021 article by the Guardian, a newspaper in Nigeria, states that the governor of Rivers state has introduced "robust and comprehensive efforts to ensure the provision of qualitative healthcare infrastructure for the people of Rivers state," including the construction of a renal centre at Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), increased funding for the health sector in 2020 and sponsoring scholarships for 500 students to study medicine and other related courses (The Guardian 24 June 2021). According to the NBS NLSS, the percentage of the population in Rivers state that experienced "[a]ny" health problems in the last 30 days was 37.6 percent for males and 42.4 percent for females; the average time for consultation including travel time was 71 minutes for males and 69.3 minutes for females (Nigeria July 2020, 33, 37). The same source also provides the following statistics:
| Hospital | Dispensary/Pharmacy | Chemist | "Patent Medicine Vendor" | Clinic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| 12.7 | 10.9 | 0 | 0 | 28.4 | 31.3 | 15.5 | 14.3 | 0.5 | 3.4 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 35)
| No Need/Minor Illness or Injury | Too Far | Too Expensive | Poor Quality of Care | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| 61.6 | 76.7 | 0 | 3.6 | 32.2 | 25.7 | 0 | 2.8 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 38)
Concerning housing, sources state that Rivers state authorities evicted thousands of residents of waterfront communities from their homes in the Diobu [Diobou] area and that the government stated that their aim was to demolish "all" shanties (Amnesty International 15 Feb. 2022; The Guardian 1 Mar. 2022), to remove criminals from the waterfront area of Rivers state (The Guardian 1 Mar. 2022).
The NBS NLSS indicates that in Rivers state 49 percent of all households owned their dwelling, 29.1 percent rented their dwelling, 21.9 lived in a "[f]ree, authorized" dwelling and 0 percent lived in a "[f]ree, not authorized" dwelling (Nigeria July 2020, 78). According to the same source, 87.9 percent of Rivers state households had access to electricity, 4.9 had access to treated drinking water and 13.3 had no toilet facilities (Nigeria July 2020, 87, 95, 96). The same source also provides the following statistics:
| Owned | Rented | Free, authorized | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No document | Title deed | Receipt of payment | Survey plan | Certificate of occupancy/Customary certificate | No document | Receipt of payment | Leasehold/ Tenancy agreement | No document | Leasehold/ Tenancy agreement |
| 73.6 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 14.2 | 5.1 | 28.1 | 69.6 | 3.2 | 100 | 0 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 79, 80)
| Mud | Bricks | Cement/Concrete | Wood/Bamboo | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | 0.1 | 84.6 | 2.3 | 3.9 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 81)
| Thatch | Corrugated iron sheets | Asbestos sheet | Zinc sheet | Mud | Long/short span sheet | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | 52.3 | 3.7 | 34.8 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 3.2 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 82)
| Sand/Dirt/Straw | Smoothed mud | Smooth cement/concrete | Tiles | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 3.1 | 70.4 | 26.3 | 0.1 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 83)
Information on access to housing in Port Harcourt could not be found among the source consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraint of this Response.
2.4 Crime
The April 2020 US OSAC report notes that "[c]rime is rampant throughout Southern Nigeria," and there is "civil unrest and low-level armed militancy in parts of Southern Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta region" (US 20 Apr. 2022). According to a July 2021 article by Daily Post, a Nigerian newspaper, the Rivers state Commissioner of Police stated that the crime rate has decreased since he took office in February 2021 (Daily Post 2 July 2021). Vanguard reports that the "Rivers of Peace Network (RPN), a group of citizen campaigning for safe and secure communities in River State[,] has commended the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) … for taking proactive measures that have restored security" (Vanguard 2 Jan. 2022). The same source indicates that in a statement issued on 2 January 2022, the RPN noted that "the crime rate in Rivers State has nosedived since the IGP deployed special operational teams that have been working round the clock in the past 60 days," with "kidnapping and banditry" cases becoming "rar[e]" (Vanguard 2 Jan. 2022).
Further information on the crime situation in Rivers state, including the crime rate, and information on the crime situation and crime rate in Port Harcourt could not be found among the source consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraint of this Response.
3. Abuja
Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that Abuja is the capital of Nigeria located in the central region of Nigeria in the FCT, which was created in 1976, and is located "approximately" 480 km northeast of the former capital, Lagos (Encyclopaedia Britannica 15 June 2021). According to a different article by the same source, the FCT has an area of 7,315 km2, is bordered by the states of Niger to the west and northwest, Kaduna to the northeast, Nassarawa to the east and south, and Kogi to the southwest (Encyclopaedia Britannica 12 Dec. 2018).
3.1 Demographics
According to World Population Review, an independent organization that provides accessible data and analysis through graphs and other visualizations (World Population Review n.d.), Abuja is "one of the fastest-growing" cities in the world with a population growth rate of 5.42 percent; the population in 2022 was 3,652,029 (World Population Review 2022). Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that according to a 2016 estimate, the population of the Abuja urban agglomeration was 2,940,000 (Encyclopaedia Britannica 15 June 2021). A different article by the same source states that according to a 2016 estimate, the population of the FCT was 3,564,100 (Encyclopaedia Britannica 12 Dec. 2018). The World Population Review states that Abuja's population is "hugely diverse," and includes the Afo [Eloyi], Gwari [Gbagyi; Gbari], Hausa, Koro and Bassa (World Population Review 2022).
World Population Review notes that the official language of Abuja is English, however, other languages are also spoken, including Igbo, Fulani and Yoruba (World Population Review 2022). The same source states that "[a]pproximately half of the city's residents are Muslim, 40% are Christian, and the remainder follow other religions" (World Population Review 2022).
3.2 Economic Sectors and Employment Rates
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, agriculture constitutes a "mainstay" of the FCT's economy (Encyclopaedia Britannica 12 Dec. 2018).
According to the NBS labour force survey for Q4 2020, the working age population of the FCT was 2,940,209 and 1,643,252 people were in the labour force (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 80). The same survey found that the total unemployed population in FCT was 663,931 and the unemployment rate was 40.40 percent, while the underemployment rate was 13.12 percent (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 80).
3.3 Access to Education, Health Care, and Housing
According to the NBS NLSS, the literacy rate of the population above 5 years in the FCT was 79.9 percent overall, 83.1 percent for males and 76.7 percent for females; the average years of education was 6 years overall, 6.8 years for males and 5.2 years for females; the gross enrollment rate in both primary and secondary schools was 104.1 [2] percent overall, 105.4 percent for males and 102.7 percent for females; the share of the population above 6 years who have never attended school was 17 percent overall, 10.1 percent for males and 23.8 percent for females (Nigeria July 2020, 14, 19, 21, 27).
The NBS NLSS indicates that the percentage of the population in the FCT with "[a]ny" health problems in the last 30 days was 22 percent for males and 24.7 percent for females and the average time for consultation including travel time was 45.6 minutes for males and 45.4 minutes for females (Nigeria July 2020, 33, 37). The same survey also provides the following statistics:
| Hospital | Dispensary/Pharmacy | Chemist | Patent Medicine Vendor | Clinic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| 30.6 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 | 20.8 | 12 | 14.9 | 5.5 | 7.9 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 35)
| No Need/Minor Illness or Injury | Too Far | Too Expensive | Poor Quality of Care | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| 100 | 92.2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 | 7.7 | 0 | 0 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 38)
Further information on access to health care in Abuja could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
Concerning access to housing in Abuja, an article by Voice of America (VOA), an American broadcaster that is funded by the US Congress (VOA n.d.), states that according to experts, "cities such as Lagos and Abuja have the kind of buildings and architecture that are in high demand" and that as demand for more expensive real estate increases access to affordable housing becomes more difficult (VOA 25 Feb. 2022). An article by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), "an independent, non-profit news agency" in Nigeria (ICIR n.d.), states that Abuja "is responsible for, at least, 10 per cent of [the] housing deficit in the country, which stands at 17 million" and the high cost of rent has contributed to a housing deficit by leaving "many houses in the city unoccupied, with many residents living in slums, or worse, homeless" (ICIR 2 May 2022).
The NBS NLSS indicates that in the FCT, 61.4 percent of households owned their dwelling, 28.9 percent rented their dwelling, 9.6 lived in a "[f]ree, authorized" dwelling and 0.1 percent lived in a "[f]ree, not authorized" dwelling (Nigeria July 2020, 78). According to the same survey, 69.5 percent of FCT households had access to electricity, 6.9 percent had access to treated drinking water and 39 percent had no toilet facilities (Nigeria July 2020, 87, 95, 96). The same survey provides the following statistics:
| Owned | Rented | Free, authorized | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No document | Title deed | Receipt of payment | Survey plan | Certificate of occupancy/Customary certificate | No document | Receipt of payment | Leasehold/ Tenancy agreement | No document | Leasehold/ Tenancy agreement |
| 75.2 | 0.4 | 5.3 | 8 | 12.5 | 18.2 | 73.6 | 23.5 | 85 | 11.5 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 79, 80)
| Mud | Bricks | Cement/Concrete | Wood/Bamboo | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14.5 | 6.4 | 78.9 | 0 | 0.3 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 81)
| Thatch | Corrugated iron sheets | Asbestos sheet | Zinc sheet | Mud | Long/short span sheet | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | 23.4 | 0 | 73.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.4 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 82)
| Sand/Dirt/Straw | Smoothed mud | Smooth cement/concrete | Tiles | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7 | 13.5 | 67.9 | 17.9 | 0 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 83)
Further information on access to housing in Abuja could not be found among the source consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraint of this Response.
3.4 Crime
According to a February 2020 report on insecurity in Abuja by SBM Intelligence, a Nigerian organization that collects information and provides analysis to governments, businesses and NGOs, "[t]here has been a rising number of abductions and robberies in recent weeks" in the FCT and that "[c]ommuters particularly face a growing risk of being robbed in taxis operated by criminal elements" (SBM Intelligence 4 Feb. 2020, ii, 2). The same source states that FCT residents have also experienced "more incidents and attacks by kidnappers" (SBM Intelligence 4 Feb. 2020, 7).
Further and corroborating information regarding the crime situation in Abuja and in the FCT, including the crime rate, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
4. Kano
Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that Kano is the capital of Kano state in northern Nigeria and is located on the Jakara River (Encyclopaedia Britannica 4 June 2019).
4.1 Demographics
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the population of Kano "is mostly Hausa, mainly Kano (Kanawa), but also includes the Abagagywa, who claim [to be descended] from Kano's original inhabitants[,] and Fulani" (Encyclopaedia Britannica 4 June 2019). The same source reports that a 2016 estimate of Kano population was 4,155,000 (Encyclopaedia Britannica 4 June 2019).
4.2 Economic Sectors and Employment Rates
Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that Kano is "a major commercial and industrial centre" where traditional industries include "leather tanning and decoration, mat making, metalworking, tailoring, and pottery manufacture" with "hides and skins" constituting "[t]he second most important traditional export" (Encyclopaedia Britannica 4 June 2019).
According to the NBS labour force survey for Q4 2020, the working age population was 7,200,704, and 2,827,830 people were in the labour force (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 62). The same survey indicates that the total unemployed population in Kano state was 717,086 and the unemployment rate was 25.36 percent, while the underemployment rate was 31.20 percent (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 62).
4.3 Access to Education, Health Care, and Housing
According to Vanguard, a UNICEF representative stated that Kano state "ranked highest in the population of out of school children in the country" with 1,496,736 children who are currently not enrolled in schools according to UNICEF data (Vanguard 23 June 2020). The NBS NLSS notes that the literacy rate of the population above 5 years in Kano state was 45.5 percent overall, 52.8 percent for males and 37.9 percent for females; the average years of education was 4.3 years overall, 4.9 years for males and 3.8 for females; the gross enrollment rate in both primary and secondary schools was 77.1 percent overall, 79 percent for males and 75 percent for females; the share of the population above 6 years of age who have never attended school was 26.8 percent overall, 19.9 percent for males and 33.2 percent for females (Nigeria July 2020, 14, 19, 21, 27). Information on access to education in Kano city could not be found among the source consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraint of this Response.
Concerning access to health care, a January 2020 report assessing primary healthcare in Kano state [3] by Nigeria Health Watch [4] and Connected Development (CODE) [5] notes that Kano state "has faced several challenges delivering health care to its citizens, with the result that the state has poor health indices" (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 29). The same source states that 11.2 percent of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) surveyed have a medical doctor posted there, while 89.7 percent did not have a doctor (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 32). The same source reports that 53.1 percent of the surveyed PHCs have potable water, 53.1 percent are connected to electricity, and 69.4 percent have functional toilets for male and female patients (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 37). The source also indicates that ambulances are available at 20.4 percent of the facilities, walls and roofs are in good condition at 67.3 percent of the facilities, delivery rooms are in good condition at 55.1 percent of the facilities, and in-patient areas are in good condition at 51 percent of the facilities (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 37).
According to the NBS NLSS, the percentage of the population in Kano state with "[a]ny" health problems in the last 30 days was 28.8 percent for males and 27.1 percent for females and the average time for consultation including travel time was 96.5 minutes for males and 97.2 minutes for females (Nigeria July 2020, 33, 37). The same survey also provides the following statistics:
| Hospital | Dispensary/Pharmacy | Chemist | Patent Medicine Vendor | Clinic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| 18.7 | 19 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 36.9 | 36.8 | 5.3 | 3 | 5.3 | 7.5 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 35)
| No Need/Minor Illness or Injury | Too Far | Too Expensive | Poor Quality of Care | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| 83.2 | 78.5 | 2.5 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 10.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 38)
Concerning access to housing, the NBS NLSS indicates that in Kano state, 71.7 percent of households owned their dwelling, 10.1 percent rented their dwelling, 14.4 lived in a "[f]ree, authorized" dwelling and 3.9 percent lived in a "[f]ree, not authorized" dwelling (Nigeria July 2020, 78). According to the same source, 49.7 percent of Kano state households had access to electricity, 2.6 percent had access to treated drinking water and 3.5 percent had no toilet facilities (Nigeria July 2020, 87, 95, 96). The source also provides the information in the following four tables:
| Owned | Rented | Free, authorized | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No document | Title deed | Receipt of payment | Survey plan | Certificate of occupancy/Customary certificate | No document | Receipt of payment | Leasehold/ Tenancy agreement | No document | Leasehold/ Tenancy agreement |
| 63.4 | 26.3 | 0.6 | 0 | 9.1 | 26.1 | 60.3 | 13.5 | 100 | 0 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 79, 80)
| Mud | Bricks | Cement/Concrete | Wood/Bamboo | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56.6 | 2.7 | 33.7 | 6.1 | 0.9 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 81)
| Thatch | Corrugated iron sheets | Asbestos sheet | Zinc sheet | Mud | Long/short span sheet | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 | 52.7 | 0 | 9.9 | 8.2 | 18.6 | 2 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 82)
| Sand/Dirt/Straw | Smoothed mud | Smooth cement/concrete | Tiles | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31.1 | 7 | 58.5 | 2.6 | 0.8 |
(Nigeria July 2020, 83)
Information on access to housing in Kano city could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
4.4 Crime
Premium Times, an online Nigerian newspaper, reports that at the end of 2018 the Kano State Police Command recorded "337 'major crime cases'," "including 22 cases of armed robbery, 21 cases of kidnapping, 105 cases of rape, 168 cases of homicide, and 34 cases of theft of motor vehicles among others," which represents a "low crime rate" when compared to 601 cases recorded in 2017 (Premium Times 2 Jan. 2019). According to Vanguard, the Police Command of Kano State indicated that 101 suspects were arrested from 26 February to 12 March 2021, including 27 suspects of armed robbery, 14 suspects of kidnapping, 6 suspects of fraud, 3 suspects of drug dealing, 5 suspects of motor vehicle theft, as well as 46 "thugs" (Vanguard 12 Mar. 2021). In addition, the Daily Post reports that in April 2021 the Police Command in Kano state reported arresting 154 suspects in the last three months, including 14 armed robbery suspects, as well as 143 "thugs," kidnapping suspects, fraud suspects, car thieves, "bandits' supplier," and a cattle rustler (Daily Post 11 Apr. 2021). Information on crime rate for Kano city could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Notes
[1] The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey notes that the international definition of unemployment, underemployment or employment considers only the individual's participation in an economic activity, without taking the "suitability of wages or job fulfilment" into account (Nigeria Mar. 2021, 7).
[2] According to the World Bank, the gross enrollment ratio in education can be over 100 percent because it "includes students of all ages", while the net enrollment rate "includes only children of the official age, as defined by the national education system" (World Bank n.d.c).
[3] The report on primary health care in Kano state by Nigeria Health Watch and Connected Development (CODE) assessed 49 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across Local Government Areas (LGA) in Kano State (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 31). A questionnaire was given to the highest-ranking staff member of each of the selected PHCs and interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with key stakeholders in the LGA and at the community level (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 31–32).
[4] Nigeria Health Watch is an NGO that "uses informed advocacy and communication to influence health policy" (Nigeria Health Watch n.d)
[5] Connected Development (CODE) is an NGO "with a mission to empower marginalised communities in Africa" (Nigeria Health Watch and CODE Jan. 2020, 47).
References
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Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International. N.d. Homepage. [Accessed 6 May 2022]
Amnesty International. 15 February 2022. "Urgent Action: 60,000 Forcibly Evicted in Port Harcourt." (AFR 44/5225/2022) [Accessed 6 May 2022]
Chatham House. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 31 May 2022]
Daily Post. 2 July 2021. Clement Chinedu. "Crime Rate Has Nosedived in Rivers Since I Assumed Office – CP." [Accessed 5 May 2022]
Daily Post. 11 April 2021. Nsikak Nseyen. "154 Suspects Arrested for Armed Robbery, Other Crimes in Kano." [Accessed 31 May 2022]
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15 June 2021. "Abuja." [Accessed 5 May 2022]
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 8 July 2019. "Port Harcourt." [Accessed 5 May 2022]
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 4 June 2019. "Kano." [Accessed 5 May 2022]
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