By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The Federal Government has solicited more support from the German Government for tackling the problem of irregular labour migration in the country.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige spoke in Lagos while commissioning the Nigerian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration, NGC, the newly upgraded National Electronic Labour Exchange, NELEX, Centre and Offices of the Zonal Director and State Labour Controller.

Ngige said in addition to the three existing Migrant Resource Centres in Lagos, Benin and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, more centres were needed in the six geo-political zones of the country.

The Minister acknowledged the continuous support of the German Government to Nigeria, thanking especially the German Development Cooperation, GIZ, for establishing the NGC in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

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He recalled that the NGC was established within the framework of the partnership agreement signed by his Ministry and GIZ on November 22, 2017, under the Global Programme, Migration for Development, PMD.

According to him, the partnership was in recognition of the need to promote employment, enhance the potential of international labour migration and strengthen the institutional capacity of his ministry to effectively manage organised labour migration in development-oriented ways.

Ngige noted that the collaboration was equally geared towards providing support for the return and reintegration of migrants, awareness creation on the risk of illegal migration as well as offering advice and providing information on regular pathways of migration to Germany, amongst others.

The Minister expressed his profound gratitude to GIZ for the donation of an operational vehicle to his Ministry, and laptop computers and office equipment to the three migrant resource centres in Abuja, Lagos and Benin.

He said, “Like Oliver Twist, we ask for more. Let me use this opportunity to emphasize the important role of the migrant resource centres in the promotion or regular labour migration and recommend that we should have centres in the six geo-political zones of the country.

“Today, we have one in Lagos, which is in the South-West but Lagos is the economic capital of Nigeria. So, we need an additional resource centre in Ibadan to serve the hinterland of the South-West, namely, Oyo, Osun and Ogun, Ekiti and the Ondo States.

“We also need an additional centre in the South-East of Nigeria. We need one for the North, which is the hotbed of irregular migration, stretching to Niger and the desert, Libya being their first port of call, before proceeding to Europe. If we are able to establish one around the Kano-Kaduna axis, we can capture them young there and dissuade them from irregular migration. We also need one more resource centre in the North-East to serve the people there. You can put it in Yola or Maiduguri.”

Ngige added that there was a need to match skills, in order to address the issue of skill mismatch, pointing out that the NELEX centre could capture everybody, to know those working.

Other dignitaries at the event include the Consul General, Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Bernd Von Munchow-Pohi, representative of GIZ Nigeria, Mrs Inna Homas, the Country Director ILO, Mrs Venessa Lerato Phala and Head IOM Sub-office for Lagos, Mr Kabia Amihere.

Vanguard News Nigeria