Governor Alex Otti has offered the International Organisation for Migration a temporary South-East and South-South office in Abia.

Mr Otti announced the offer on Monday during the visit of the newly appointed IOM chief of mission in Nigeria, Sharon Dimanche. He said that there were a few reported cases of child trafficking and other crimes in Abia currently.

The governor explained that this was due to the state’s zero-tolerance policy for crime and criminality, stressing that anyone caught would face the full wrath of the law. He stated that the state had established the Abia Diaspora Commission to capitalize on the benefits available to Abia people in the diaspora.

Mr Otti disclosed that the minimum amount Nigeria received through diaspora remittances was about $20 million, with Abia also benefiting. He, however, said that sometimes the funds were not well used, although some had been put to good use, such as in education and other areas.

The governor further stated that the state had already received some returnees, while others had expressed interest in returning home. Mr Otti said that some Abia people in Diaspora were discouraged from returning because of the fear of having no place to stay. He said he had given a directive to the Abia Ministry of Housing to provide accommodations for such persons.

The governor urged the IOM to support the Igbo people, whom he described as the greatest migrants in Nigeria, adding that they deserved such support. He also bestowed upon Dimanche the traditional title of “Akudo” and adorned her with the Abia-made, handwoven Akwete cloth.

The IOM chief explained that the delegation came to get an update on Abia’s roadmap for implementing an earlier MoU, which the parties had signed. She said that migration was inevitable for humans and, therefore, must be planned, managed, and conducted in a safe and orderly manner.

Ms Dimanche said the IOM desired to help the over 1.5 million Abia people in the diaspora serve the state better. She noted that immigration, trafficking in persons, harnessing diaspora benefits, and diaspora data management were some of the challenges that IOM would collaborate with the state government to solve.

Ms Dimanche also promised to help Abia establish a diaspora information management system and a diaspora bank to ensure premium benefits from Abia’s diaspora.

(NAN)