The federal government says it is making efforts to curtail irregular migration by Nigerians through policies and programmes that will boost the economy and create employment.

Abubakar Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, said this at an anti-migration summit organised by the Blacks Ancestral Native Communities (BANC) on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Bagudu said that irregular migration had a lot of unintended negative outcomes, such as human trafficking and drug peddling.

According to him, the federal government realises the urgent need to advance the Nigerian economy to an enviable level where it can support its leadership status as the pride of Africa.

“A two trillion dollar economy will support the correction of all of what we are here talking about, such as the irregular migration or the “Japa” syndrome in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is not seeking to end migration by her citizens but to ensure that people only migrate out of choice, not by compulsion.

“The present administration is making strident efforts to curtail irregular migration by Nigerians through policies and programmes that will boost our economy and create employment,” he said.

He said that most of the policy measures being pursued were meant to support the country’s aspiration to attain higher economic goals.

He, however, advised those seeking to migrate to ensure proper documentation and careful choices of the jobs they were going to do in destination countries.

Mr Bagudu said that the federal government was presently empowering Nigerian youths through many policies and programmes.

Patrick Lumumba, Kenyan lawyer and activist, while delivering the keynote address, said that about 60 years after the independence of most African countries, they were yet to make things right.

Mr Lumumba said that there was a need for a change in mindset to sanitise African politics, create opportunities in agriculture, clear policy guidelines, and research and development.

“It all comes from the mind. We must change our mindsets; when we change our mindsets, then we begin to do the right things.

“One of the problems of Africans is the quality of politics that we have; let us not shy away from it.

“Each African country is running from disaster to disaster on a daily basis. Even when politicians steal, they do not keep it in their own country.

“In order to solve this problem, the first thing to do is to sanitise our politics,” he said

Earlier, chairman BANC Foundation, Sani Bako, said that having known the factors driving irregular migration, Nigeria, and indeed Africa, were not too far away from the solutions.

“The causes of the phenomenon of irregular migration vary from country to country.

“One common factor that prevails in all countries is the wanton, inordinate, and senselessness corruption that has permeated the entire continent,” he said.

Also, Dr Chibuzor Onyema, founder and chief executive officer of BANC, said that in order to make irregular migration less attractive, the government should address the root causes.

“These causes include poverty, unemployment, lack of access to quality education, political instability, and insecurity.

“Governments and leaders at all levels must prioritise creating an environment where young people can prosper and build fulfilling lives within their own countries,” he said.

(NAN)