Recently available information further highlighted the problem of escalating exodus of Nigerians from the country in quest of greener pastures. The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, said: “Just this year alone, we have received a lot of complaints of Nigerians trapped in North Africa, especially in countries like Morocco and Tunisia, who are unable to come back home.”

According to Waziri-Azi, who spoke at an event in Abuja organised by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation as part of activities marking the 2023 Civil Service Week, most of the affected young Nigerians were victims of human traffickers who had deceived them with tales of sporting opportunities abroad. She said on arrival at their foreign destinations, the majority of them had been trapped in dehumanising prostitution, exploitative labour and organ harvesting schemes.

At another Abuja event, the 2023 Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Nationwide Sensitisation and Enlightenment Campaign, the acting Deputy Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, said: “We have a big problem in this country and that is the issue of ‘Japa syndrome.’ We have so many of our youths who are dying in the Sahara, dying in the Mediterranean Sea.” Quoting the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), she said at least 1,200 Nigerians had died while trying to migrate through the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea this year.

The striking common thread in these narratives is that too many Nigerians are desperate to leave the country, whether through supposed sports routes or irregular ways. The picture of desperation, and the tragic consequences, is alarming.

People move for various reasons, including social, political and economic factors. But it is known that, largely in Africa, economic reasons trigger movement of people, especially young men and women. Such migrants are pushed to other countries where they expect to find greener pastures for employment or enterprise development.

It’s a cause for concern that many of the country’s youths tend to believe they can get a good life only if they move to more developed countries, particularly in the Western world. For instance, a 2022 report said nearly 800 Nigerians trying to reach Europe through Libya were repatriated from Libya within a year.

Importantly, the NAPTIP boss explained how human trafficking can be foiled, saying the “Trafficking in Persons (Control of Activities and Centres) Regulations 2019” gives the agency the powers to control and issue clearance certificate to travel agents, tour operators, sporting agents and all Nigerians leaving the country for the purpose of labour recruitment or sporting activities or educational purposes.

Based on this, she advised that parents or guardians who are approached by sporting agents offering alleged opportunities for their children to either play football or participate in athletics abroad should ask whether they have a NAPTIP clearance certificate.

This is useful advice. But it does not address the question of the lack of such opportunities in the country, which is why many young Nigerians unsuspectingly fall into the hands of human traffickers who pose as sporting agents in the first place. NAPTIP should make serious efforts to rescue the Nigerians said to be “trapped” in North Africa.

Also, those who travel through irregular processes are usually desperate to escape from what they perceive as hellish conditions in the country. Their desperation is a thought-provoking statement on what they consider to be intolerable living conditions at home.

In both cases, Nigeria is the ultimate loser. “Enlightenment and sensitisation” have been identified as helpful approaches to solving the problems. But beyond this, the authorities should wake up to the need for greater development, and do more to improve socio-economic conditions in the country. That is the crux of the matter.

Update news