Refugee commission partners group to promote legal pathways for migration

The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) is partnering with the International Conference on Population Development (ICMPD) to create legal pathways for the migration of Nigerians.

Tijani Ahmed, the federal commissioner of the commission, said the policy would help Nigerian youths seeking to acquire development skills in other countries and return afterwards.

Ahmed spoke on Wednesday when he received a delegation of the international group.

The commissioner said federal and state universities in the country have started a collaboration on forming a “centre of excellence on migration”.

He added that the contribution of ICMPD and other international organisations would bring immense success and development to the project.

“We also want to see that our youth have access through legal means to go out and acquire more knowledge and disseminate the knowledge back to this country,” he said.

“That is why one of the major issues we will put on the table is how to bring down some of the conditions that make the youth travel through irregular means.

“They should support us so that we can ensure that our youth benefit from the migration process through regular means.”

Sedef Dearing, director for migration dialogues and ccooperation at the ICMPD,  said the organisation will support Nigeria in bridging the gaps in the country’s migration process.

She said ICMPD has had an excellent collaboration and cooperation with the government of Nigeria and would take it further.

“We have been working on several initiatives together and want to take this cooperation further to the next level, that is the purpose of this visit,” she said.

“We need to sit together and explore the needs, where the gaps are, and how we as an organisation can work together to address those gaps.

“As the national commissioner has mentioned, one of the priorities for us is to support the efforts of the Nigerian government in developing legal pathways.

“We will promote legal pathways for migration, especially for the Nigerian youth, working together on skills development and skills accreditation. Also, if possible, support reintegration efforts when migrants come back to Nigeria.”