Nigeria Has No Bilateral Labour Agreement For Citizens Migrating Abroad — World Bank

The World Bank has criticised the manner in which the Federal Government is managing the migration of Nigerians abroad.

The multilateral institution said the Nigerian government has not been able to secure a bilateral labour agreement with countries to help its migrants secure jobs and reduce the risk they face in the process of migration.

The bank’s Country Director, Shubham Chaudhuri and it’s Economist Samik Adhikari said these at a review of the World Bank new report: “Expanding Legal Migration Pathways from Nigeria to Europe (From Brain Drain to Brain Gain).”

Adhikari said, “Another trend that merits consideration and this is specially relevant given the introduction given by Chaudhuri [World Bank Country Director] but also some of the dynamics that we see particularly during the peak of migration crisis in 2016 is that the share of refugees and asylum seekers from Nigeria has increased rapidly.

“Nigeria has several policy documents in place that have been adopted to regulate international migration. So, overall, the presence of the policy provides a robust framework.

“However, in terms of the opportunities in the stage, there are no active bilateral labour agreements that Nigerian has in place to support oversees placement of youths.

“I will like to draw the distinction between Nigeria and the Philippines where Nigeria and Philippines both started around the same time in the 1960s, but Philippines have a managed migration system over Nigeria’s efforts.”

Chaudhuri in his remarks said that Nigeria’s potentials lies in the hands of the youth population.

He said the potentials that the country’s demography can offer have not been realised.

“In the process, the aspirations, the opportunities that Nigerians youth expect has yet to be realised and as a result, many of Nigeria’s youths are now seeking the opportunities elsewhere.

“We already know that Nigerians in the diaspora have left their mark on the world stage, in the music industry, in the medical industry, in finance, many different marks.

“What has also come into the fore in recent years is the fact that trying to tap into the opportunities has resulted to what we call irregular migration. Putting themselves in tremendous personal risks, trying to make their way.

“The fact they are doing so tell you about what Nigeria needs to develop to help Nigeria’s youths to realise their potentials. Migration does offer an opportunity for every country to both benefit, but there can be migration which helps build ties with the diaspora and home communities develop and expand in so many different ways.

“But there has to be a process for managing that migration between other countries who have done this successfully. And Nigeria is on a part to putting in place and developing what we call ‘managed labour migration potential.”

Chaudhuri said it would help reduce the rate of risks undertaken by Nigerian migrants who are seeking jobs abroad.

The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obeseki, who also spoke on the issue admitted the failures of government at the federal and state levels to secure bilateral labour agreement for their citizens.

He said, “We don’t have as part of our strategic plans for giving people work. Plan to prepare them to go outside and also get work. Do we as a country have a strategy to take advantage of the global opportunities that migration offers?

Reacting to the loopholes pointed out by the World Bank, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri, said that the strategy has changed.

Dabiri said, “The World Bank gave the example of Philipines, yes we know, but now, we are taking it very very seriously. There is this programme called ‘the Match programme’, which will be introduced I think next week in Lagos where you are actually going to be matching those here with the skills available abroad.”

Dabiri who said government needs to do more, also noted that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has started engaging youths at the state level.

“Every state now has a diaspora agency,” she added.