Nigerian govt counsels citizens against illegal migration
The Federal Government on Monday issued a warning against illegal migration operations, highlighting their negative effects, amid the flurry of petitions for immigration from Nigerians seeking to leave the country.
Nigerians planning to leave the nation were instructed by the government to do so in accordance with the migration regulations.
At the opening of the EuroAfrica Polish Language Center in Abuja, the Director of Economic Trade and Investment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Akinremi Bolaji, denounced the attitude of many young people who migrate overseas without having the rudimentary skills.
Bolaji pointed out that the unfavorable treatment Nigerian travelers receive abroad is due to their lack of preparation.
He also criticized the country’s high rate of unauthorized travel, saying that records of Nigerians receiving unfair treatment overseas lacked sufficient documentation.
The government does not support unauthorized immigration, according to Bolaji. However, we are aware that the ability to move is a fundamental human right. Because of this, the government places a high priority on ensuring that anyone wishing to migrate does so within the bounds of the law.
“Countries want what you have, but they only want you to enter the country legitimately or with proper documentation. In order to help you, you need registered services like EuroAfrica, who are well-known to the government and regulatory bodies.
Such organizations can arrange for you to travel on the proper path. But as you can see when you say “Japa,” if you enter another man’s land without doing so legally, you risk being mistreated and the legal system will likely struggle to defend you. We are stating unequivocally that no one is attempting to restrict anyone’s freedom of movement, but that you must at least have some fundamental information, for example.
“All the records of ill-treatment that we receive is because most of our people did not properly migrate. If you are documented at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, when you are traveling and you are documented by National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters and we know the employer who is the agent that is taking you away, then if your host mistreats you, we will be able to trace such host. But when you travel illegally then it becomes a challenge.”
Bolaji added that the initiative’s focus was on enhancing linguistic interaction in order to boost international trade.
Instead of encouraging “Japa,” he continued, “this initiative is going to encourage proper regular migration, labor migration, and encourage record keeping so that the government can keep track of how many citizens have left the country, where they are, what industries they work in, and who their employers are.”
