The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) to commence research on migration and humanitarian development.
While signing the MoU in Keffi, Nasarawa State, the Federal Commissioner of NCFRMI, Tijani Ahmed, said the study would guide migrants and young people who travel out of the country in search of greener pastures.
He stressed that undertaking the study will reduce cases of death, maltreatment, and other ills associated with irregular methods of migration.
Ahmed, stressed that the principal purpose of the MoU is the establishment of the International Centre of Excellence for Migration and Humanitarian Development Studies (ICEMIDS), as a way of developing sustainable programmes and supporting research in migration, refugees, and humanitarian development studies.
“We are here to sign an MoU with the Nasarawa State University to protect migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons.
“Today in Nigeria, many of our youths leave the country for greener pastures. Some of them go through the irregular method and some through the regular methods.
“So many of our youths die across the oceans all in a bid to go through the irregular route. So, we want to give them the knowledge and understanding of how to go about things because migration is very important for both the country and the participants.
“But the need for them to go through the regular means is absolutely necessary and one of the ways to catch them young and to get them informed is the university.
“The university will give them the knowledge for them to understand the processes so they don’t fall into the wrong hands,” he said.
Ahmed stated that the study will commence as research, adding however that it may go into full academic activity in the future.
