• Govt validates migration policy to curb brain drain, insecurity
Migration of over 1.4 million Nigerians is a major cause of brain drain in the country, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Tanko Sununu has lamented.
The emigrants, according to Sununu, are skilled Nigerians with tertiary education especially in the medical field.
He, however, said the Federal Government has moved to arrest the trend by revising National Migration Policy.
The revised migration policy will also check insecurity and other issues associated with Japa syndrome.
The minister spoke during the validation of the 2025 policy and its Integrated Implementation Plan in Abuja yesterday.
He said: “As of today, the Nigerian Population Commission will agree with me that over 1.4 million Nigerians emigrated outside and a lot of them are highly skilled.
“Fifty one percent of the migrants that leave Nigeria have knowledge of tertiary level of education and most of them are also health workers. This is causing a brain drain in Nigeria.
“With the right policies in place and the right information, the issue of brain drain can be addressed, and we would, in turn, improve our skill, improve and promote brain circulation within the country.
“The revised National Migration Policy seeks to strengthen institutional coherence, mainstream international best practices, and reinforce national ownership of migration governance.
‘’The policy would make migration more beneficial to Nigerians, improve the rights of migrants and also derive much benefit to Nigeria in terms of knowledge, economy, health and others.
“The policy has been addressed in such a way that it has provided a lot of knowledge . With the knowledge embedded in the policy, Nigerians would know the dangers of irregular migration.
“We also have to get the commitment of security agents and work with them because the issue of irregular migration is connected with insecurity witnessed in some parts of the country.”
Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) Tijani Ahmed said the country must continue to adapt and strengthen national strategies to harness the opportunities migration offers and mitigate the challenges it presents.
Ahmed expressed hope that the policy would enhance a coordinated, effective, and human-centred migration management system in the country.
The Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration Sharon Dimanche explained that the policy would protect Nigerian leaving the country and those are coming in.
She said: “This policy would ensure that migration is done in a more coordinated way and everybody benefits from the whole process. So you have a win-win situation for the migrants, for the government, and for the communities that are receiving migrants.’’
