In commemoration of the 2022 International Migrants Day, the Federal Government has expressed readiness to work with international partners to adapt programmes to mitigate the impact of climate events and the consequences in the country.
The National Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons Hajia Imaan Suleiman- Ibrahim stated this in Abuja at the 8th Annual National Migration Dialogue in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration, IOM and other relevant stakeholders.
The Annual National Migration Dialogue which started in 2014 is a platform, where stakeholders working on migration and related issues come together to deliberate on the challenges in migration, the gains achieved and chart the way forward, for a better migration management in Nigeria.
The eight edition of the dialogue with the theme “Accelerating Climate Adaptation Displacement and Human Mobility in Nigeria”. is coming at a time the country is recuperating from the impact of the worst flooding event in a decade, which has displaced about 1.4 million persons in 33 out of the 36 states of the federation, bringing the total estimated number of displaced persons in Nigeria from 3.2 million in March 2022 to more than 5 million in November, 2022.
Hajiya Imaan thanked international partners for their continued support and expressed hope that the forum would enable stakeholders to set priorities especially in the area of adaptation and data collection.
“It is therefore my hope that collectively, we join can hands and with the support of International Partners, come up with adaptation Programmes to reduce in impact of climate events and their consequences, including displacements and human mobility of the most vulnerable in society”
The International Organisation for Migration Chief of Mission Laurent De Boeck said the theme of this year’s Dialogue is timely, as the impact of climate change on migration is increasingly, a major factor responsible for human mobility and displacement in Nigeria
I would like to use this forum to advocate for community-led solutions, including nature-based solutions that could support the adaptation of communities to climate change, we believe this would inform the adoption of adequate strategies for minimization with a view to proffering practical solutions and interventions that should be considered including for further revision of the National Migrant Policy, Laurent added.
The Highlight of the event was the issuance of awards to MDAs, organisations and individuals who have contributed immensely to the course of Migration management in the country.
Reporting Hadiza Abdulrahman ; Editing by Abdullahi Lamino