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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Sequel to the wave deportation of foreigners in the United States, the Federal Government has set up a committee to receive Nigerians.
Since the assumption of President Donald Trump, the United States has put in place stringent measures to restrict foreigners from staying in the country beyond the expiration of their visas.
The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMI), Aliyu Tijani, who spoke at an event marking the 2025 World Refugee Day, yesterday in Abuja, said government has put measures in place to receive Nigerians and provide for them a kind of livelihood and support.
On the new visa policy of the United States, he said Nigeria has not received any formal letter to that effect.
“We have not received any written letter from the U.S. Government. So as far as we are concerned it is a policy statement.
“Nigeria has been very proactive. We have already constituted a committee to look into this in case it becomes a reality and we are ready to receive our people and provide for them a kind of livelihood and support.
“The Nigerian government is ready for that. The Nigerian government has already constituted a committee and is awaiting any action that might come from the United States of America. There is no cause for alarm at all,” he assured Nigerians.
On migration, he disclosed that Nigeria currently hosts 135,000 refugees and not less than 250 of them are Nigerian refugees living in other parts of the world.
“Particularly, I said we have not less than about 125,000 of them that are living in Cameroon. We have them in Chad and we also have them in Nigeria. Of course in South Sudan, Libya and the rest of the parts of the world.”
He commended President of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu for his support “because the Commission is the one in charge or has a responsibility in assisting in helping the migrants, the refugees and the IDPs.”
Also, a senior humanitarian officer at the ECOWAS Commission, Alozi Amaechi Godfrey, revealed that last year, the commission assisted refugees in ECOWAS 15-member states and persons of concern with $9 million and Nigeria got about $1.7 million of the money.
“We are also working to assist refugees and internally displaced persons all around West Africa and particularly here in Nigeria where we have our headquarters.
“We have other activities also. For instance, we have what we call the work we do in order to assist refugees. That work we do is policy-oriented and what we do is to create policies that will help resettle refugees and help them provide assistance and protection.”
