By Sabella Ogbobode Abidde

Two recent news items caught my attention: Desperate to go abroad (Vanguard, October 25, 2009), and Nigerians, others top list of asylum seekers (Guardian, October 27, 2009). Quoting United Nations’ statistics, the Guardian wrote: “Pounded at home and desperate to keep hope alive, Nigerians are among the top nationalities fleeing their own country and seeking asylum in industrialized nations…by the end of the first quarter of 2008, 2,471 Nigerians had been registered, while for the same period this year, that number is now 3,793.” No numbers were given for asylum seekers in developing countries.