Migrants

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says a total of 13,407 Nigerians have so far returned from Libya under the Voluntary Assisted Returnees Programme which began in April 2017.

The agency said the Nigerians were assisted back from the volatile North African country by the European Union (EU) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Yinusa Maihajja, made the disclosure on Thursday while receiving a fresh batch of 159 Nigerians from Libya on Wednesday night.

Maihajja who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, NEMA, Alhaji Nura Bappa, revealed that the IOM and EU had jointly assisted in training 6,950 returnees in various businesses aimed at reintegrating them back to the society fully.

He said the new batch of returnees had arrived the Cargo Wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard a chartered Buraq Air aircraft with registration number 5A-DMG at about 7.20 p.m. on Wednesday.

Maihajja said they comprised 33 female adults, two female children and five female infants as well as 115 male adults, four male children and seven male infants.

He disclosed that among the women were 12 nursing mothers and four pregnant women.

The Director General, while welcoming them, implored them to look at their experiences as a positive turning point to forge ahead with their lives.

He said: “It is normal for humans to seek for better life, but this your sojourn has turned bad. You should not let the experiences over there dampen your bright future.

“It is normal for human beings to face challenges, but the way we handle or treat the challenges will determine the outcome”.

“If you put these experiences in the dustbins of the past and with determination to be successful in your new endeavours, I assure you, success awaits every one of you.”

Also, Mr Abraham Tamrat, IOM Programme Coordinator, revealed that based on recent research on migration matrix conducted, there had been continuous reduction of irregular migrations to unsuitable environments.

He revealed that the efforts of international partners and national agencies in sensitisation and awareness creation on the menace of irregular migrations had started yielding results.

Tamrat promised that efforts would continue to be focused on Religious and Community Based Organisations in the country towards ending the scourge of irregular migration in Nigeria. (NAN)