- Takes advocacy to higher institutions
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Federal Government has expressed concern over the rate of illegal migration from the country despite the obvious danger attached to it.
The Deputy Director and the head of the Migrant Resource Center of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Maurine Ovie, disclosed that over 24,000 Nigerians were returned in the last seven years while some others are still living without hope.
She disclosed this at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, on Tuesday, during an institutional advocacy and community-focused training worship for university students and community-based relevant stakeholders titled Promoting effective labour migration, decent work, and standardized recruitment process.
According to Ovie, the advocacy organized by the Centre for Gender, humanitarian and Development Studies (CGHDS) in collaboration with the migrant resource center of the Ministry of Labour and Employment would continue in Ede Polytechnic, Osun State University, Ejigbo, and Osogbo campuses respectively.
She said, “The effect of Japa syndrome is having a lot of effect on our youth.
In the last seven years, over 24,000 Nigerians who are on irregular migration have returned. More of the percentage are on traffic. Many have died. Many did not have hope of being returned whether alive or half dead.
“Irregular migration is on the increase despite its dangers. From our last advocacy, we discovered that Ejigbo is a high corridor for traffic routes. What we are telling them is that they should migrate in the right way. They should know a safe and orderly route. The FG is concerned and it’s playing its role. That is why we are having this advocacy,” Ovie said.
She lamented that graduates are not utilizing the opportunity of about 9,000 openings for jobs available with the ministry because some of them have made up their minds to travel out of the country.
Earlier, the Acting Director, of the Centre for Gender, Humanitarian and Development Studies, Redeemer’s University, Dr Oluwatoyin Ilesanmi, explained that the university is making frantic efforts to educate the final year students to avoid illegal migration.
She said, “We discover through research and happenings in the global communities that japa has become one of the major causes of humanitarian crisis especially those who travel through irregular means because they go into indecent employment and many of them die in transit while crossing the ocean. Some of them become stateless and undocumented migrants thereby going through a lot of suffering. Some of them turned to commercial sex workers.”
The Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Prof Shadrach Akindele, who was represented by the Provost, College of Post Graduate, Prof Olalere Adeyemi, advised the students, particularly those who have decided to travel abroad, to employ the right channel to avoid falling victims of slavery.