The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), says it has repatriated 975 stranded Nigerians, from Niger Republic in 2023.
The NEMA Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, Dr Nurudeen Abdullahi, made the disclosure in Kano on Wednesday.
According to him, the returnees comprised of 561 males, 152 females adults and 262 children from Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Borno, Yobe, Sokoto and Bauchi state.
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He explained that,the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), from Niamey, Niger capital, through a voluntary repatriation programme.
The coordinator stressed that,the programme was for the distressed, who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries, and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.
Nurudeen pointed out that, the returnees were trained on various skills and provided seed capital to make them self-reliant.
He advised Nigerian youths, to desist from endangering their lives, by engaging in irregular migration in search of greener pastures in other countries, adding that no country was better than Nigeria.
“There are opportunities in Nigeria, you don’t need to say you must have a white collar job to survive, all you need is determination to survive”
“If you must travel abroad, do so legally and through the right channels to avoid falling prey to human traffickers and other forms of exploitation.”
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The coordinator emphasized the need for massive campaign, to sensitize the public on the dangers of traveling to foreign countries through illegal means.
“There is also the need for serious surveillance at our border’s to prevent the returnees from going out through the borders.”
The returnees were handled by emergency officials from their states, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, Nigeria Red Cross and security agencies.