BENIN CITY – Wife of a former Governor of Edo State and President/Founder, Idia Renaissance, Mrs. Eki Igbinedion said the NGO has in the last five years successfully assisted the safe and voluntary return of over 125 Nigerians from Europe and other parts of the world, including North America.
She disclosed this at a symposium organised in Benin City by Idia Renaissance in collaboration with Maatwerk Bij Terugkeer, Netherlands with support from the European Return Fund.
The symposium, with the theme: “Illegal Migration: Route to Slavery and Death” was part of a comprehensive approach to provide members of the public with realistic information on migration under a project tagged: “Suprising Europe.”
Mrs. Igbinedion was represented at the occasion by the Vice President, Idia Renaissance, Mrs. Esohe Oyemwense.
According to her, “Idia Renaissance is currently collaborating with some European partners and agencies to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of Nigerians who may be asylum seekers, overstayed or undocumented migrants to return to Nigeria with a re-integration grant to enable them start some kind of tailor made projects for income generation.”
She called on government at all levels to as a matter of urgency initiate programmes and policies that would assist in the integration of Nigerians who have chosen to return home when the purpose of migration goes soar.
Mrs. Igbinedion also encouraged Nigerians in diaspora to return home and invest and to create job opportunities as well as transfer skills and knowledge acquired in their host countries that are needed to transform Nigeria.
The Project Co-ordinator, Idia Renaissance, Mr. Nwoha Roland said Suprising Europe aims to initiate an awareness-raising process and to contribute to mitigating the negative aspects of migration.
He said it also aims at initiating a discuss and change of mentality in home countries and in Europe amongst (potential) migrants and those supporting them, as well as inform the home-front of the real life of migrants in Europe.
Guest presenter at the occasion and the Co-ordinator, Girls Power Initiative, an NGO, Grace Osakue said migration becomes illegal when the process deviates from due protocols and established way of going about it.
Noting that, no part of Nigeria is isolated from illegal migration, she noted that in every case of illegal migration, there are elements of deception and fraud.
She identified effects of illegal migration on individuals to include; slavery and slavery-like practices, exploitation by family, drug abuse and death.
Solutions to checking illegal migration, she said included personal skills development, raising of awareness, responsible governance, upscaling best practices, support for NGOs’ working on the issue as well as addressing the demand issue.
Coordinator, Child Protection Network, Jennifer Ero in her remarks urged the state government to partner with all Local Government to ensure that Skills Acquisition Centres in their domain are functioning to capacity.