The Association of Recruiters, Licensed Placement Agents of Nigeria, ARLPAN has called on the Federal Government to address irregular migration to prevent Nigerians from falling victims of unlicensed recruiters and taken advantage of at their destination countries.
The ARLPAN President, Mr Rex Jacob-Omole, made the call at a news conference on Wednesday in Lagos.
The conference had the theme, “Effects and Implications of Consistent Irregular Migration”.
Jacob-Omole expressed dismay over irregular migration, saying that it had negatively affected societies and economies.
According to him, irregular migration affects not only the migrants but also their countries of origin, transit and destination.
“The government should insist that all the ministries, departments and agencies involved, especially immigration, follow up with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
“Also, the government should sign bilateral agreements with some of these countries; if the government does not sign the bilateral agreement, Nigerians will still move.
“If they move, they are being maltreated, because the government does not have any bilateral agreement with the destination countries,“ he said.
The union leader said to fully tackle irregular migration, Nigeria must address the root causes.
According to him, these include economic hardship and unemployment that force individuals to seek opportunities elsewhere.
“Others are conflicts, political instability, and human rights violations that push people to flee their countries of origin, climate change and environmental disasters that displace communities.”
He added that misinformation and false promises spread by smugglers and traffickers lure people into dangerous journeys.
Jacob-Omole also said that addressing irregular migration required a multi-faceted and cooperative approach, including strengthening legal migration pathways to reduce the need for risky and unauthorised routes.
He said there was a need for synergy among SOPs-implementing agencies and stakeholders, as well as an enhanced international cooperation to ensure fair and humane migration policies, especially signing of bilateral agreements or memorandum of understanding.
