CHIEF of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, Mr. Martin Ocaga, has expressed IOM’s readiness to partner with Nigeria to facilitate a coherent migration management approach among targeted ECOWAS member-states through an assessment of national labour migration management, by promoting legal migration and preventing irregular migration through information provision.

Mr. Martin who was accompanied by the Officer in charge of International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr. Denis Zulu, stated this while presenting Draft National Labour Migration Policy to the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, in his office.

“The task before us is to work with you and other partners to formulate this draft policy which has ably been supported by the International Labour Organisation and that is why we are here to present this draft copy which has been completed through wide consultations. This has been a long time programme with the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, largely on the project which was “to facilitate a coherent approach to migration management by focusing on promotion of regular labour migration and prevention of further irregular migration in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Libya to the European Union member-states,” Mr. Martin said.

In his remarks, the ILO representative, Mr Zulu posited that “the ILO sees today’s global challenge as forging the policies and resources to better manage labour migration so that it contributes positively to the growth and development of both home and host societies, as well as to the well being of the migrants themselves”.

In his response the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, emphasized the importance of migration policy to achieving a conducive policy framework that will safeguard the economic interest of the Country.

“The National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) presented to me here today is critical for the achievement of a conducive policy framework that promotes regular labour migration and protects the economic interest of the Country, adding that the policy will ensure that we build the skills of Nigerian youths and job seekers to make them ready and compete in the International labour market while on the other hand guarantying that we do not export skills that are in short supply within the Country”. The Minister emphasized.