Federal government opens diaspora resource centre to assist those returning home settle in

NIGERIA'S federal government has commissioned a resource centre it built for diasporans that are willing to return to the country from their respective locations abroad with a view to starting a new life back home.

This centre, which is the fourth in the series established by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and tagged Migrant Resource Centre (MRC), is located at New Karu in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Speaking shortly after the commissioning, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha,  the minister of state for labour and employment, explained that the centre was established with the technical and financial support of the German Development Cooperation.

Ms Onyejeocha, who commissioned the project alongside Germany’s minister for economic cooperation and development Svenja Schulze, added that the project was within the framework of the Centre for Migration and Development ZME Project. Also, the minister stated Nigeria’s desire for the deepening of partnership between Nigeria and Germany by promoting labour exchange through bilateral labour migration agreements to further encourage regular labour migration pathways for the benefit of the two countries.

She added: “In this regard, due consideration should be given to the establishment of new MRCs in the southeast (Enugu), north west (Kano), southwest (lbadan), north central (Benue) and northeast (Bauchi) geo-political zones of Nigeria respectively."

Ms Schulze stated that the focus of the cooperation between the Nigerian and the German governments is on making migration successful for the migrants, for Nigeria, and for Germany. As of 2021, there were about 83,000 Nigerians living in Germany and Nigerians have very high rates of employment in Germany among immigrants, second only to Pakistanis.