By Jacinta Nwachukwu

The Civil Society Network of Migration Development (CSONetMADE) has advocated the establishment of migration governance structure across states for effective migration management.

CSONetMADE, a network of over 300 civil society organisations (CSOs), made the call in Abuja, at a two-day National Engagement on Validated 2025 National Migration Policy and Integrated Implementation Plan.

Dr Emeka Chris-Obiezu, the National Coordinator of CSONetMADE, underscored the importance of establishing state level coordination of migration at the grassroots where the impact would be more effective.

The group coordinator explained that establishing state level coordination of migration would enable people to share ideas and responsibilities on proper migration.

He added that, by doing so, migrants would be protected, country services would be ensured, and migration would become beneficial to all.

Chris-Obiezu said the aim of the engagement was to enhance public awareness and understanding of the new migration policy that had been validated.

“The purpose of this event is to familiarise ourselves with the contents of that policy, especially on the new issues of starting state level coordination.

“It was observed during the review of the last policy that there is not much awareness on that for an effective implementation.

“With the collaboration, the activities of the grassroots through the state governments will be mainstreamed into the national federal level of governance of migration,” he said.

On her part, the Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Ms Sharon Dimanche, commended CSONetMADE for the initiative.

She underscored the need to take migration discourse beyond the federal level, to state and to sub-state levels.

Represented by Ukamaka Anyanechi, Head of the Governance Diaspora and Partnership Unit, IOM, Dimanche said “migration is a local issue, even though it is managed at the federal level”.

Also speaking, Alhaji Tijani Ahmed thanked the civil society network for the effort towards ensuring public awareness on the new national migration policy especially at the state level.

Ahmed is the Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI).

Represented by Catherine Udida, Director, Migrant Affairs, NCFRMI, Ahmed reaffirmed the need for more advocacy and awareness creation on the national migration policy.

“What we realised is that many people had no idea that there is a framework on migration, and people had not even read the reviewed 2015 National Migration Policy.

“Going forward, the commission will ensure that at the sub-national levels – states and local governments – there should be advocacy and awareness creation, that we have a policy, a framework to manage migration in the country,” he reiterated.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the engagement, funded by European Union, had stakeholders on migration across states in attendance. (NAN)(www.nanews.ng)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi