Strengthening Labour Laws, Traffickers’ Prosecution, Others will Curb Menace, Says NiDCOM – THISDAYLIVE

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

To stem the trend of illegal migration, particularly among the youth, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Dr. Abike Dabiri, said policies and legal frameworks on prosecution of traffickers of young people should be strengthened.

Dabiri said labour laws aimed at protecting migrants’ rights should be strengthened. She also recommended the engagement of Nigerians already in the diaspora as job mobility drivers between countries.

Dabiri made the suggestions yesterday in Abuja in her keynote address during the Rabat Process thematic meeting centred on “Youth, Education and Innovation: Driving the Future of Migration.”

In the meeting, where Nigeria hosted 57 member countries, Dabiri stated the strengthening of regular migration pathways will enhance labour mobility and will further consolidate the efforts of the government in the sensitisation and education of the general public on the available opportunities backed by laws in the migration space.

According to her, incentives for regular migration by the government may include enabling environment for migration policies implementation, policy consistency, bilateral agreements with countries of interest, and access to funding for education.

Others include mentorship programmes, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, promoting knowledge-based empowerment for the youth, and strengthening of consistent sensitisation against irregular migration.  She said doing so will further galvanise support for combating the phenomenon of irregular migration and the dangers attached to it, even though the blame might not completely be those of the illegal migrants whom might be fleeing from conflict prone regions, unemployment and hunger amongst others.

Dabiri stated, “Policies and legal frameworks on prosecution of traffickers of young people in Nigeria should be strengthened to curb the scourge of irregular migration.

“Labour laws aimed at protecting migrants’ rights should be strengthened for effective Labour mobility.”

She said a recent statistic suggested that Nigeria faced an unemployment rate of around 33 per cent among young people, while emphasising the urgent need for education to equip young people with skills that match the demands of the society.

She stated, “In today’s globalised world, education is crucial for participating in the international arena with advancement in technology, rise of knowledge economies, skills of critical thinking and problem-solving and digital literacy are very essential.”

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Yilwatda Nentawe, revealed that recent data indicated that African youth represented a significant proportion of those migrating to Europe. Nentawe said they were usually driven by economic opportunities, access to education, and the pursuit of improved living conditions.

He said dis-incentivising irregular migration, which endangered lives and undermined human rights, by promoting regular migration pathways, education and training in countries of origin, innovation transfer, and enhancing youth empowerment, and diaspora engagement was needful.

According to him, “These young migrants play a crucial role in their host societies by contributing to innovation, entrepreneurship, and addressing labour market shortages, while also supporting their countries of origin through remittances and knowledge transfer.

“Recognising these contributions, this Thematic Meeting aims to explore how the potential of African youth can be further leveraged as key contributors to both origin and destination countries.

“By dis-incentivising irregular migration which endanger lives and undermines human rights, while promoting regular migration pathways, education and training in countries of origin, innovation transfer, and enhancing youth empowerment and diaspora engagement is needful.”

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