By Temitope Ponle and Isaac Aregbesola
The European Union (EU) is working with Nigeria to have a collective agreement that will facilitate migration issues and the repatriation of illegal Nigerians in EU countries.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, that the EU also sought to engage with the government in providing vocational training programmes for those who had been repatriated.
“The EU for instance, for now, is trying to have a collective agreement with Nigeria covering all the EU countries, so that there can just be a one-stop-shop in migration and repatriation.
“In fact, the EU wants to engage with us in helping to provide vocational training programmes for Nigerians who have been repatriated so that they do not come back, and nothing nothing to do.”
“So they are also keen to cooperate with us to provide skills development for them.”
He noted that the issue of migration had become priority for most EU countries.
He also added that it was pertinent to engage with the EU to ensure that the “legal rights of Nigerians, be they irregular or regular migrants, are fully respected”.
Onyeama also rebuffed the claims that some Nigerian citizens were deported from some countries without properly informing the Nigerian Government.
He explained that opportunities were given for migrants to exhaust all legal rights open to them before repatriation.
He said this was in line with bilateral agreements on repatriation Nigeria had signed with some countries.
“The ones from Libya wanted to come home because the conditions in which they were staying were deplorable so it was a question of facilitating their return home.
“Of course, you know that Libya is almost a failed state at the moment so it is not advisable for any Nigerian to be in that country.
“As for the UK, we had an agreement bilaterally; they cannot deport without our cooperation because to deport or repatriate somebody, they have to have a travel certificate and the certificate is provided by the Nigerian Government.
“So they have to first identify and be sure, we insist that the person is Nigerian and we insist also that the person has exhausted all their rights.
“At the moment, these things stand; it is not possible for the UK to unilaterally repatriate without our cooperation,” he said.
The minister further said the government was not oblivious of the economic situation in the country and reiterated the need for an enabling environment for all citizens.
He said: “The primary responsibility rests with us; we have to provide for our citizens and that is what Mr President is trying to do in the restructuring of the economy.”
No fewer than 250 Nigerians have been deported from different European countries this year.
Some 50 Nigerians were on Thursday deported from eight European countries for committing immigration-related offences.
The Nigerians were deported from Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Hungary.
On Feb. 23, no fewer than 43 Nigerians were deported from Italy, Germany and Belgium, for committing various offences.
The Italian Government had on March 8 deported 37 Nigerians and on April 4 deported 40 more Nigerians for committing various offences in the country.
On Feb. 1 and March 31, the UK also deported a total of 64 Nigerians for various immigration offences. (NAN)
