International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Nigeria on Tuesday in Enugu began its four-day media dialogue with Nigeria Editors and media heads on Migration Management in Nigeria.
In her welcome remarks, Mrs Florence Kim, the IOM Regional Media and Communication Officer, said migration is natural and cannot be stopped.
She noted that IOM was prompted to organise the workshop to seek ways to manage it, uphold its dignity and for the well-being of the migrants.
The regional media officer said that the organisation’s key activities involved giving direct assistance to migrants, capacity building, protecting entries and raising awareness.
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She added that it was to integrate the migrants, counter trafficking as well as for child protection.
In his presentation, Mr Ikechukwu Attah, the IOM communication assistant recalled that the organisation started its operation in Nigeria in 2001.
“IOM began operation in 2001 with the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme in Lagos,’’ he said.
He also said that IOM was one of the organisations with the global initiative that helped stranded migrants who wished to return home safely in cooperation agreement with the government of Nigeria.
Attah confirmed that in 2017 that there were 119,369 migrants’ arrivals by sea through the Central Mediterranean route of which the majority were Nigerian with 18,250 persons.
”According to the Italian Ministry of Interior, this number dropped considerably in 2018 to 1,250 Nigerian arrivals to Europe through the same route,” he said.
In spite of the decrease in arrivals, the Central Mediterranean route continues to be the deadliest worldwide with 1,314 deaths recorded in 2018 and 165 deaths recorded so far this year,” he said.
Attah said that the forum was for every participant to make contribution so that the menace of irregular migration could be stopped and for its positive management.
In his contribution, Pastor Dan Omoweh from IBT Radio, Benin City, said that the cause of people travelling abroad was to seek better living.
Mr Ikem Okohu, the Chief Executive Officer of Relik Media Limited, said that we needed to change our perception of what doing well abroad meant.
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The questions here are: what are those migrants doing and how did their wealth come about?
In his contribution, Mr Kenneth Eseni, the African Independent Television (AIT) South-East Regional Manager, urged the organisation to do proper sensitisation to the dangers of irregular migration.
”Even though some travelled abroad through the illegal way and became successful there are still lots of negative things involved,’’ he observed.
Mr Arinze Orakwue, the Director Public Enlightenment of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Prisons (NAPTIP), said that it was the government’s responsibility to intervene in cases of trapped migrants.
“The responsibility of government is to retrieve the migrants and bring them back to the country.
“Nigeria has been up and doing in tracing and bringing back trapped migrants but to rehabilitate them takes a lot,’’ he added. (NAN)
