More Nigerians migrated to the Niger Republic in 2021 irregularly than in any other country in the world, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Nigeria’s 2021 Annual Report released this week.
According to the report, 1147 Nigerians (737 males and 410 females) left for the neighbouring country in 2021 without proper documentation.
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Also, 957 Nigerians arrived in Libya, 193 in Germany and 182 in Mali within the same period.
Sudan, Chad, Ghana, Austria, Lebanon and Egypt had 154, 143, 62, 56, 52 and 46 respectively.
The report said IOM had provided assistance and supported more migrants in 2021 compared to 2020.
It also revealed that 3,324 Nigerian voluntary returnees were assisted, representing a 125 per cent increase when compared to 2020.
“There were 6,042 returnees reintegrated, signifying a 96 per cent growth, followed by vulnerable migrants supported, and people reached through awareness-raising with 48 per cent and 40 per cent increase respectively.
“The achievements in 2021 can be attributed to the ease of COVID-19 restrictions that impacted local and global mobility in 2020, and full operational capacity of the Mission,” the report added.
Meanwhile, Frantz Celestin, Chief of Mission of IOM Nigeria, said the organisation had assisted more than 24,000 stranded Nigerian migrants to safely return home from Libya, Lebanon, Europe and other countries since 2017.
He revealed this in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of the International Migration Review Forum preparatory meeting and National Voluntary Review of the Global Compact for Migration.
Celestin said the evacuations were done through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative.
He noted that IOM has been working closely with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among others, to facilitate the humane, orderly and dignified movement of returning migrants to Nigeria.
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