By Giwa SHILE
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has assisted 11,000 irregular migrants returned home and trained 5,000 of them in several skills in the last one year.
Chief of Mission ad interim (IOM), Mr Frantz Celestin, made this known on Saturday in Abuja during a solidarity walk as part of activities commemoration of this year’s International Migrants Day.
Celestin said that the assistance and re-integration programme was to create a thriving environment for returnees to properly reintegrate into society and to dissuade them from embarking on perilous journeys in search of greener pastures.
“As at November, we have assisted 11, 000 Nigerians coming from mostly Libya, Mali and Niger; and those who were stranded.
“We provide support for them working with NAPTIP, working with NCFRMI, Nigerian Immigration Services, NEMA and all the concerned agencies to bring those who have been stranded back home.
“That is the very first step and once they are home, we have to provide the means for them to stay home, we have to create an environment for them to thrive in Africa.
“So that they do not engage in perilous journeys trying to find greener pastures.
“So far, we have trained about 5,000 returnees in business skills, business management and we are in the process of contacting more because it is a process to get everybody integrated,’’ Celestin said.
Celestin said that the IOM was also stepping up and wrapping up activities to train and reintegrate more of the returnees.
“We are hoping to get more and more of them within the process in terms of training and getting access to funding to be properly integrated,’’ he added.
The Chief of Mission said that in line with this year’s theme, the IOM was advocating for migration with dignity and urged intending migrants to go about migration lawfully.
He explained that migration was not a bad thing when done the proper way, adding that orderly migration was of benefit to everyone, the migrant census, the government and the societies where they go.
According to him, migration is innovative and allows for cross cultural communication globally.
Celestin said that IOM was sending out a message of migration with human dignity, human rights and protection.
The returnees were repatriated and reintegrated under the IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme.
The IOM’s AVRR programme aims at the orderly and humane return and reintegration of migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in host or transit countries and wish to return to their country of origin.
