Abuja – On 27 June, IOM, the UN Migration Agency, hosted the Second Quarterly Coordination Meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Migration in Nigeria. 60 government representatives as well as from civil society and international organizations attended the event.

The meeting provided a platform to review migration issues in the country by updating the TWG members on the implementation of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in Nigeria, as well as contributing to the review of the National Migration Policy Implementation Plan.

During his welcome address, Hon. Lawar Mohammed Hamidu, Federal Commissioner, Nigerian National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), commended the TWF for supporting a coherent and coordinated approach to migration management in Nigeria, and called on its members to not lose sight of global processes, especially the Global Compact for Migration (GCM).

The TWG comprises five thematic groups: Migration Data, Labour Migration, Diaspora Mobilization, Returns and Reintegration and Border Management.

“A country of origin, transit and destination, Nigeria has experienced an increasing number of migrants returning to the country," said Ukamaka Osigwe, IOM Nigeria Programme Officer during the opening remarks. She added that Nigeria's recently-developed National Policy on Migration aims to address this challenge, as seen by the development of Standard Operating Procedures on return and reintegration.

Henry Akwitti, IOM Nigeria Project Officer presented the update of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative in Nigeria, highlighting that since the start of the project, 8,571 stranded migrants had been received in Nigeria as of 11 June 2018. Of these, over 4,000 returnees have been contacted to receive further assistance, including 1,109 returnees who formed groups to receive collective reintegration support.

To strengthen migration data and communication on migratory flows, routes and trends, as well as to ensure evidence-based policies, Akwitti reported that thanks to the establishment of flow monitoring points (FMPs) in Sokoto and Kano states, IOM recorded an average of 1,037 and 167 individuals in Kano and Sokoto respectively per day from 1 to 31 May.

He noted that the daily average number of individuals observed at the FMPs in Kano remained the same compared to April. In May, Zinder, Maradi, Diffa, (Niger), Centre (Cameroon) and Ndjamena (Chad) were the main cities of departure of individuals passing through Kano, whereas Zinder, Maradi, Agadez, Ndjamena and Centre were the main cities of destination of observed flows.

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative in Nigeria is part of the larger EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration which facilitates orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration management through the development of rights-based and development-focused policies and processes on protection and sustainable reintegration. The EU-IOM Joint Initiative, backed by the EU Trust Fund, covers and has been set up in close cooperation with a total of 26 African countries.

For more information, please contact Jorge Galindo, IOM Nigeria, Tel: +234 803 645 2973, Email: jgalindo@iom.int.