By Jacinta Nwachukwu
The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) in collaboration with International Organisation on Migration (IOM), is seeking stakeholders to review migration policy to fit current realities.
Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, Federal Commissioner NCFRMI, disclosed this at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Migration and Development in Abuja.
Ahmed said the major aim of the meeting was to seek the stakeholders’ ideas and views toward reviewing the current migration policies for effective workable solutions to migration challenges in the country.
The meeting is aimed at discussing ways to reviewing the current policy on migration so as to meet the global standards of operation in the sector.
“We are here to participate in the quarterly meeting of the migration policy and today, all the migration development partners in the space of migration are here to look into some of the issues.
“Also to review the migration policy as presented by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.
“The meeting will also look into issues as presented by the commission in respect of the national Migration Dialogue which is coming up on Dec.
7,” the Commissioner said.
Ahmed said that precisely, the meeting is to look into two major issues namely; to review migration policy and also to prepare them for the National Migration Dialogue.
He thanked the development partners in the space of migration for protecting Nigerian migrants within and in diaspora and for ensuring that they have a place to live.
Ahmed said that at the end of the meeting, ideas would emerge on managing issues of migration within the country and Nigerians in diaspora.
Mrs Ukamaka Anyanechi, Programme Officer, IOM Nigeria office, while contributing said migration was a natural phenomenon that happened not only in Nigeria but across the world hence the need for proper handling of migrants.
“Human mobility is something that we intend to continuously see as far as there are human beings on earth,’’ Anyanechi said
She said IOM had been working with the government of Nigeria in different areas to promote efficiency in migration management.
“With regards to today’s meeting which is the technical working group on migration, if you are familiar with 2015 national migration policy, it has a migration governance framework that has different levels of coordination.
“The TWG is the level of coordination that brings together all the stakeholders who are working at operational level to look at the issues on ground, proffer solutions and also move these solutions to the Federal Government for consideration,” Anyanechi said.
According to her, the body having seen the need to come together to contribute ideas, considered some challenges affecting the sector and sought solutions to overcome those challenges by reviewing the policy to fit global standards.
The meeting brought together other international agencies such as German Agency for International Cooperation under the Centres for Migration and Development Project, stakeholders from MDAs, Civil Society Organisations.
Others were; National Population Commission, Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, Stakeholders Forum on Border Management, Nigerian Immigration Service, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, among others.
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Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Razak Owolabi