Mohammed Ibrahim Bare, PhD
Department of History and International Studies
Yobe State University, Damaturu, Nigeria.
&
Haruna Salisu Maigoro
Department of History and International Studies
University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Abstract
Over the years or decades, migration of people across the borders of Nigeria-Niger Republic particularly Yobe State areas bodering the Republic of Niger was not unconnected with climatic challenges especially drought. The disastrous Great Drought of 1973 that had adversely affected the entire Sahelian region, and the subsequent droughts that followed in the 1980s and 1990s as well as the 2004 – 2005 droughts had really posed serious threats to livelihoods ranging from food crisis, diseases, deteriorating pasture conditions, displacement of persons which brought with it a heavy wave of human migration, herds inclusive among others in the study area. These issues, indubitably, led to competition over scarce resources particularly between sedentary crop-cultivators and transhumance pastoralists which also resulted into incessant conflicts between the two parties and at the sametime, metamorphosis into other criminal acts hereby exacerbating the security dilemma in the area or region. Therefore, the situation really calls for drought coping strategies by the concerned authorities via a concerted efforts with which to effectively contain the situation. The study used both primary and secondary sources of data collection as qualitative method is being used in the study.
Keywords: Drought, migration, border, livelihoods, effects.
Introduction Communities in pre-colonial Africa were mainly monolithic in nature. They were highly unified and disciplined with little or no room for individuality or internal variation. They were bound together by very strong cultural and traditional ties. Neighbouring communities also had very strong ties and very cordial relationship.34 Inter communal interactions were essentially based on the presence of complementary needs among