Nigeria Refugee Commission collaborates with IOM on Migration management

There is a need to build the capacities of relevant MDAs/CSOs that have the mandate to provide services to ensure the return, readmission and reintegration of migrants.

The Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim said this at a stakeholders’ workshop organised in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration on the operationalisation of the Standard Operating Procedure, SOP.

Represented by the Head, of Migration Southwest of the Commission, Mr Alex Oturu, the Federal Commissioner said the workshop aimed to ensure enhanced coordination, collaboration and complementarity for an effective, efficient and sustainable Return, Readmission and Reintegration management and migration governance in Nigeria.

She said, “the Commission is committed to its responsibilities of ensuring better Migration management in Nigeria and particularly towards achieving sustainable reintegration of returnees while extracting from the strengths and capacities of the various stakeholders.”

Suleiman-Ibrahim said that the effective delivery of every mandate requires cooperation and coordination.

According to her, “the workshop will provide step-by-step procedural methodology and timelines for the implementation of Return Readmission and Reintegration in Nigeria.”

“The SOP provides a framework for the coordination of different actors with varied expertise working on RRR; Proposes clear responsibilities and operational boundaries of various actors while ensuring the sustainability of the process; and provides a referral mechanism that takes into account the cross-cutting nature of migration and its impact on social configuration, that guarantees the safe, dignified humane and orderly treatment of Nigerian citizens upon their return,” she explained.

The overall objective of the workshop is to equip stakeholders with the necessary tools to contribute to safe, orderly and regular migration in the Sahel and Lake Chad as well as Horn of Africa regions.

The IOM emphasised that the SOP aims at prescribing standards and procedures, based on international law and policy, for the return, readmission and reintegration of returnees, in line with relevant international legal instruments.

It said; “Specifically, the aspect of the project for which we have gathered here aims to ensure that returning migrants achieve improved economic, social and psychosocial reintegration that also benefits communities.

“This can be achieved by the operationalisation of the Standard Operational Procedures of return, readmission and reintegration developed by the National Working Group, by sensitising and training stakeholders at the State and local levels on the provisions of this document.”

It further enjoined participants to take due advantage of the opportunity presented by the workshop to make meaningful recommendations in the spirit of IOM’s whole of society approach to Migration Management.