Commission To Review Migration Policy Amid Challenges 

The National Commission for Refugee Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) has said it is set to review the 2015 National Migration Policy.

The Commission disclosed that the review aims to address migration issues comprehensively, encompassing education, access to social care, and proper documentation for individuals entering and leaving Nigeria.

Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, Tijani Ahmed who disclosed this in Abuja yesterday at the Technical Working Group on Migration and Development meeting expressed concerns about the challenge of accurately determining migrant numbers amid factors such as population growth, economic conditions, climate change, and porous borders.

Ahmed said: “All migration stakeholders are gathered to look into some of the issues and review the National Migration Policy because of changes that may have come up as a result of so many issues.

“There is need to review the National Migration Policy which is the framework for the coordination of migration issues because the policy recognises periodic review and evaluation to enable it keep abreast of local, subregional, and regional changes in migration.”

On the data of migrants in and out of Nigeria, he said: “Migration is continuous, so we cannot say the specific number of migrants that we have in Nigeria at the moment because it is a daily affair and we need to update our records. So, I cannot give an exact figure but a significant number of people come in and out of Nigeria daily but we hope to be able to manage the issue of migration in Nigeria and for those living in diaspora.”

On his part, the programme officer, IOM Nigeria, Ukamaka Anyanechi said the review of the policy will aid smooth and effective execution of the role of IOM and other partners.

She said IOM has been working with the government of Nigeria for over 20 years in different areas to promote efficiency in the space of migration management.

“Based on various engagements, we feel there is need to look at the policy and make provisions available compared to what we currently have to address irregular migration and the successful reintegration of returning migrants.

“There are also high number of Nigerians that leave Nigeria regularly as students going to different parts of the world. In the current policy, the issue of migration through the education route is not highlighted and the Ministry of Education at different fora has pointed out the need to have specific provisions and interventions to ensure that there is adequate support to Nigerians who are migrating regularly,” she said.

On the data of Nigerian migrants out of the country, she said: “It is a difficult to get the figure because people leave through different means, so it is difficult to get the number of Nigerians that have left the country. So, data also remains a challenge within the migration space because of various reasons”.