In Lagos, a transit centre to aid in the reintegration of migrants and displaced persons has been inaugurated.
The Centre, which will be managed by the State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, will be located within the Lagos State Relief and Resettlement Camp in Igando and will be funded by the EU and implemented by the International Organization for Migration, IOM.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stated in a message that the state intends to establish a third relief camp in the Ibeju-Lekki axis.
Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, praised Lagos state as a willing partner in migration management and the support for Persons of Concern to the Commission.
Hajia Imaan noted that the centre, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, ushers in a new era in the care of the displaced.
Earlier, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, Director-General of LASEMA, stated that the new transit centre would not only strengthen IOM and Nigeria’s capacity to assist the most vulnerable but would also serve to drive home the message about the dangers of irregular migration.
At any given time, the centre will be able to seat 400 people.
Reporting by Omosanya Omolara, Editing by Saadatu Albashir