Over 11,000 Nigerians study, live in Canada, says envoy

Over 11,000 Nigerians study in Canada with some of them having residences there, the Canadian  High Commissioner  to Nigeria, Philip Baker, told President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

Baker was at the Presidential Villa in  Abuja  to present his Letter of Credence to Buhari.

“Baker said more than 11, 000 Nigerians were studying in Canada, with many residing in the country,” a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, quoted the envoy as informing Buhari.

The envoy said the majority of the students eventually returned home to help build the country.

Buhari   used the opportunity to seek the support of Canada and the international community to redirect water to the receding Lake Chad.

The statement added that Buhari warned that “the about 40 million population in the region will pose adverse migration and security challenges to the world” if the lake dried up completely.

The President  pointed out that banditry, illegal migration and terrorism would worsen if the lake was not rescued.

He said, “An academic rightly predicted that except there was a redirection of water to Lake Chad, it would dry up.

“Now, whenever I go for any global meeting or visit a country, I will always draw the world’s attention to the adverse effect of climate change on the lake, and the resulting negative effects.”