Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has received another batch of 140 Nigerians from Libya.
The Acting Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, South West Zone, Segun Afolayan, told journalists on Wednesday, 19 December 2018, in Lagos that the new returnees arrived the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 10:30pm on Tuesday, 18 December 2018, aboard a Libya Airline aircraft.
Afolayan said the returnees comprised of 39 adult females, eight female children, 76 adult males and 17 male children.
He announced that the arrival of this batch has brought the number of Nigerians, who voluntarily returned from Libya between 6 January and 18 December, this year to 4,123.
He commended the efforts of the International Organisation for Migration and the European Union in facilitating the return of Nigerians stranded in Libya.
Afolayan disclosed that 11,833 Nigerians had been brought back since the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme began in April 2017.
He explained that the Migrants Resource Centres recently established by IOM in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja, Benin and Lagos were also yielding the desired results.
“The centres were opened for any intending migrants to access information or make enquiries about the prospective country of destination, the various job opportunities in the country and safest routes.”
“It also provides important information to Nigerians who intend to travel through the regular process.
“The feedback from the centres have been very positive and encouraging,” he said.
Local media reports quoted Afolayan as saying that the recording of more than 3,000 enquiries so far by prospective migrants and assistance given by the centres are very commendable.
– APA
