Responses to the 1983 Expulsion of Aliens from Nigeria: A Critique

Abstract

The Nigerian Government expelled over two million illegal aliens from her territory on 17 January, 1983 for social and economic reasons, majority of whom were West Africans mostly from Ghana. However, her action was greeted with a barrage of criticism by members of the international community at large. This paper attempts a critique of this plethora of criticisms and submits that the Nigerian government of Shehu Shagari acted in conformity with the Nigerian immigration law of 1963 as informed by the exigencies of national interest. Government should therefore be exonerated from all the said criticisms.

Keywords: Expulsion, Aliens, Criticisms, Nigeria, Exodus