By Felix Khanoba
The Federal Government has vowed to roll out strategic measures aimed at maximizing the economic and developmental benefits of migration.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, made this known on Tuesday at the 2025 Annual International Conference organised by the Centre of Excellence in Migration and Global Studies (CEMGS), National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), in Abuja.
Declaring open the two- day conference, with the theme, ‘Migration And Sustainable Development: Problems And Prospects,’ Sununu harped on the need for experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to dissect the dual-edged nature of migration—both its opportunities and pitfalls.
“Migration, whether internal or external, has all its positive and negative consequences. As a nation, we must be able to swim in the tide so that we can benefit maximally from the positive impact of migration while mitigating the negative impact,” Sununu said.
Emphasizing the crucial role of Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly in the medical field, the minister stressed that the government is not only focused on reaping the benefits of migration but also on plugging the gaps created by brain drain.
“The Federal Government is doing its best on the issues that affect healthcare services. I recall in the last few weeks a document was produced trying to address the issue of brain drain,” he noted.
Sununu further praised the collaboration between Nigerian universities and their international counterparts through transnational agreements, a strategy he believes will help retain academic talent within the country.
“I must commend the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission for increasing partnership between our campuses in Nigeria and other campuses outside the country through the transnational agreement, so as to reduce the migration of our well-secured, experienced academicians out of the country,” he said .
The minister commended NOUN Vice Chancellor and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for the support provided to CEMGS to organise the event, even as he challenged the conference to come up with solutions that would boost regular migration and minimise the hazard of dangerous movements.
On his part, NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, described the conference as a critical platform for addressing the global challenges of migration and exploring innovative solutions.
“While migration can enhance economic growth, cultural exchange, and innovation, it also presents significant problems that, even if ignored before, now stare us in the face. We are witnessing increasing tensions around the globe, where receiving countries grapple with the stress and strain that large migrant populations can place on infrastructure, social services, and labor markets,” Prof. Peters said.
While underscoring the rise in xenophobia and nationalism, warning that these trends threaten social cohesion, the VC, however, maintained that migration holds great potential for sustainable development if managed effectively.
“Despite the numerous challenges, migration also holds great potential for fostering sustainable development. When managed effectively, migration can be a powerful driver of economic and social transformation,” he added, citing countries like the United States as examples of successful migrant integration.
Prof. Peters called for holistic, human-centered migration policies that provide safe, legal pathways, protect migrant rights, and address the root causes of migration.
The VC commended TETFund for awarding and releasing the seed fund that was used to set up the CEMGS, adding that the Centre has grown as one of the most prominent Centres of Excellence in the country.
“It is perhaps the only centre in the country that runs monthly seminars, webinars on contemporary migrant issues with speakers from all across the globe. Consequently, I want to make a special appeal and request to TETFund to provide additional funds to water the germinating seed of the Centre to enable it professionally and intellectually, fulfil the training and human capacity programmes for enablement of Postgraduate Programmes in the areas of Migration in the country,” he said.
Also speaking, the Centre’s Director, Prof. Gloria Anetor, said CEMGS was established with a seed fund from TETFund in February 2020.
“The vision of the centre is to serve as the bridge between humanity and the future, and the mission is to provide sustainable leverage for interdisciplinary research in migration and global studies,” she said.
While saying the centre has been growing steadily since its inception, Prof. Anetor expressed the need for the Centre to float postgraduate programmes in migration and global studies which can be further achieved through financial support and update of its mandates.
“The good news is that the centre is beginning to gain international recognition, it has recently attracted an international institution (Munich Forum Dialogue (MFD) in collaboration with the University of Krems, Austria) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the university to collaborate with the centre in the trainings of individuals in migration agencies on “Circular and Return Migration,” she said.
In a presentation, the keynote speaker, Rev Father, Dr Emeka Obiezu, who spoke on ‘Unlocking the Migration-Development Nexus: A Holistic Approach to Policy and Practice’, emphasized the need to promote healthy migration through well thought out laws.
The AUTHORITY reports that the event also witnessed goodwill messages from the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sunny Echono, Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chief of Mission to Nigeria, International Organization of Migration, Paola Pace, among others.
