Nigeria is grappling with a significant refugee crisis, with over 250,000 of its citizens living as refugees in countries such as Libya, Cameroon, South Sudan, and others. Conversely, the country is also hosting at least 135,000 refugees.
The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) revealed these figures during a road walk in Abuja to commemorate World Refugee Day.
The Federal Commissioner of the Commission, Tijani Ahmed, who revealed that the Federal Government has set up a committee to look into a United States that might lead to the deportation of some Nigerians, said: “We have a lot of refugees in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. In Nigeria today, we are hosting no less than 135,000 refugees.
‘’We also have no less than 250,000 Nigerian refugees living in other parts of the world.
“Particularly, we have no less than 125,000 Nigerians living in Cameroon. We also have Nigerians in Chad, Niger, South Sudan, Libya, and other parts of the world.
“President Bola Tinubu has been supporting and is willing to offer more support to the commission to assist migrants, refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons).’’
On the likely deportation of some Nigerian migrants from the US, he said: “As far as we are concerned, it is a policy statement. However, Nigeria has been very proactive, and we have constituted a committee to look into it in case it becomes a reality. We are ready to receive our people and provide them with the kind of livelihood and support they deserve.
“The Nigerian government is ready for that. The Nigerian government has already constituted a committee and is awaiting any action that might come from the U.S. So, there is no cause for alarm.’’
Alozie Godfrey, a Senior Humanitarian Officer at the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted the commission’s efforts to support refugees in West Africa. “Last year, we basically assisted refugees in all ECOWAS 15 member states, and all their persons of concern, to the tune of about $9 million. The government of Nigeria got about $1.7 million of this money.
“This year, we are also working to assist refugees and internally displaced persons all around West Africa, and particularly in Nigeria, where we have our headquarters, to make sure that refugees are given the rights they are supposed to get, and make sure that we also assist them.”
The Nation revealed that the ECOWAS Commission remains committed to addressing refugee issues and will collaborate with partners to provide assistance within its limited resources.
