In commemoration of the 2023 International Migrants Day, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Justice, Development, and Peace Commission (JDPC), emphasized the crucial role of continuous sensitization and enlightenment in putting an end to irregular migration in Nigeria.
At the event, Secretary General Fr Zachariah Samjumi highlighted the importance of migration for progress but stressed the need for proper channels, expressing the church’s commitment to educating the public about the dangers of irregular migration.
Fr Samjumi urged communities to recognize the developmental opportunities that come with migration and emphasized the church’s dedication to protecting the rights of migrants. Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, President and Founder of the Pan-African Institute for Global Affairs and Strategy, underscored the harsh consequences of irregular migration, urging individuals to move regularly within legal frameworks.
He said, “Today is the day for migrants. The Catholic Church is working so hard to protect the rights of migrants.
As we celebrate this moment, we should do everything it takes to facilitate the wellbeing and the rights of migrants.
“Communities must accept that the more you allow people into your own area, the more development you have. It is an opportunity to be more and grow more. If states, local govt will see to this, they will create the enabling environment to harvest the knowledge that comes from these people
“When you migrate illegally, that is where the problem comes. We are here to enlighten people so that they can migrate in the legal way”, he said.
Addressing the government’s role, Uhomoibhi called for the creation of an enabling environment to reduce irregular migration, stating, “Migration has the good, bad, and ugly sides. Nothing justifies irregular migration.
He said, “Human beings have to move. There is no problem with Migration, it is just that when you do it illegally, then you are bringing trouble to yourself. So avoid irregular migration. If you embark on illegal migration you automatically become a criminal and you are no longer protected by the universal human rights that you are entitled to as a human being.
“It is legal to migrate. Migration has been part of human history from time immemorial. People now move more because they feel that they are unhappy with where they are. But what we are insisting is that you should move regularly”.
Meanwhile, Malachy Ekete from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) assured the commitment of the agency to address illegal migration and exploitation, emphasizing the thin line between migration and trafficking.
“There is a thin line between migration and trafficking in person and that thin line is exploitation. Some people left Nigeria today as an economy migrants with hope to go and make money outside Nigeria and they end up being exploited.
“From 2003 till today, NAPTIP has been fighting to make sure that people are not exploited. But traffickers in their own way, change their trend everyday,” he said.
Fr Augustine Akhogba, Secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Unit at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, explained that the church’s advocacy extends to grassroots levels, involving coordinators in different dioceses to spread the message
. The Catholic Church’s pastoral response aims to address the phenomenon of migration in Nigeria, advocating for regular and legal migration practices to ensure the well-being and rights of migrants.
