Refugee commission: Nigeria’s migration policy will soon be reviewed

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, federal commissioner of Refugees, Migrants and Internally-Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), says the country is working to review its migration policy.

Over the years, Nigeria has hosted thousands of refugees from neighbouring countries.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria is in need of a migration policy that works for everybody since it is a country of “migration and destination”.

The federal commissioner said a team of the NCFRMI will meet with global stakeholders in South Africa on how to strengthen Nigeria’s labour migration policies.

“We are the custodians of the migration policy. It is about to undergo a review,” she said.

“We have a lot of partners too, international partners like the Swiss Government through the SDC, IOM, especially repatriations and readmission, reintegration, rehabilitation and then resettlement, and also the European Union , and they support us in managing migration challenges and in the effective implementation of our migration policy.

“As a country, one of our key challenges is irregular migration, so we are not against migration as a country, we just want to have a migration policy that works for everybody.

“We are stepping up our efforts to provide long-term solutions to those in need. Nigeria provides a welcoming environment for refugees, as we now host about 73,000 refugees of different countries.

“We are dedicated to facilitating the safe repatriation of Nigerian refugees who voluntarily desire to be repatriated and are presently seeking asylum in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.”