Illegal migration, not purely a Nigerian problem - Dabiri-Erewa

Abiodun oba |

Illegal migration is not purely a Nigerian problem, but that of the continent, as thousands of Africans stake their lives as they venture on a boat journey in search of what they think will be a better and easier living standard.

The Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the assertion on Monday in Ibadan while presenting a lecture at a programme organised by the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, to commemorate the university’s 70th Anniversary.

The lecture had its theme as: “Building Capacities of Nigerian Youths against Slave Trade or Illegal Migration.’’

The Special Assistant lamented saying, “Unfortunately, it is a journey that begins with hope but end with despair.

“It is painful that Nigeria ranks highest in the statistics of irregular migration; communities have lost able bodied youths, valuable assets and properties to irregular migration,’’ she said.

She explained that the menace of irregular migration by Nigerians had called for actions from different sectors, including the United Nations.

“My office is inundated with petitions and letters on daily basis crying for `Save our Souls’ messages from stranded migrants and at times, from their families back home.’’

According to her, about 10,000 Nigerian youths have been repatriated recently, courtesy of the collaboration between the Federal Government and International Organisation of Migration from Libya.

“Between the months of June and July 2018, two full flights from Nigeria consisting of 616 and 114 Nigerian girls of ages 16 to 30 years went to Saudi Arabia.

“They went under the guise of performing the lesser hajj called `Umrah’, with each of them paying not less than N600,000 for that journey.

“The agents in charge of the journey however absconded and disappeared from King Abdul Azeez International airport Jeddah till today.

“They have all been sold into slavery of being house girls working for 18 to 19 hours daily and earning peanuts.

“This is just one of the sad stories we hear every day in my office, while some others trapped there are calling on us to come and rescue them,’’ she said.

On solutions to curb unlawful migration, Dabiri-Erewa urged all stakeholders including government agencies, traditional rulers and parents, to be involved in the activities of the present government.

“Unemployment is another issue while the other is awareness; in every case like this, you have an uncle, you have a mother, so what we are doing is that we are creating awareness.

“It is a national tragedy; so, traditional rulers, government agencies and other stakeholders must be involved.

“On the way forward, traffickers also have to be nabbed and this is the work of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP),’’ Dabiri- Erewa said.

The presidential aide said that in spite of the hopeless situation being painted of the country, irregular migration damaged the national reputation.

According to Dabiri-Erewa, the dangers and risks involved in illegal migration are more than the problems one can possibly face in Nigeria.

Narrating some of the pathetic situations and ordeals that illegal migrants face, she said: “They want to go to Europe and they ended up in Libya.

“President Muhammadu Buhari constituted a committee sent to Libya, the situation is the worst thing I have ever seen in my life.

“If you go to see them, there is no human being that will not cry; but in spite of the efforts, many Nigerians are still languishing in Libya cells.

“We brought about 10,000, though we were told they were 6,000; they were begging that we should just bring them back home.

“One girl said she was 14 years old and about 40 people have slept with her; they used men as slaves, they used them on the farms.

“There are still underground cells we could not reach then; so, up till now, we still have many Nigerians in Libya cells.’’

She said: “Saudi Arabia is another country we are still battling with; in this case, they go through an agent, it is not like Libya but they use them as sex workers and slaves.

“We keep appealing to Nigerians to not go near those countries like Libya, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, but if you want to go, go legally.

“Undoubtedly, there is nothing wrong in people moving from one point to another; it is their legitimate rights to do so, but these rights come with some provision and conditions.’’