In light of the increasing emigration rate of Nigerians, the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, says the government must do its part in providing a favourable environment for its residents.

Dabiri-Erewa spoke on Monday from Paris during an appearance on Channels Television’s Empowering Tomorrow: A New Vision for Nigeria, a special programme on the 63rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence celebrated on October 1.

According to her, it is impossible to completely halt the mass exodus of Nigerians popularly referred to as Japa.

She said, “You can’t stop this migration, legal or illegal, but the question is: Why are you migrating? Are you migrating to a better place? Are you migrating to bigger dreams?

“Here is a quick thing, government needs to play its own role of [providing] a conducive environment. The Tinubu administration has talked about job creation, SMEs, digital transformation, and digital truth for our younger people, and a lot of that conversation is going on here in France.”

The NIDCOM boss acknowledged that moving to another country has no inherent flaws, but it must have a clear goal.

“There is nothing wrong with migration, but migrate to a better place. Migrate to become a better person; don’t migrate to get into trouble. A lot of people we deal with are looking for jobs but they don’t get the jobs when they go abroad.

“Why are you migrating? Are you a better person by the time you migrate? But again, government must play its role and do what it has to do,” she said. (Channels TV)

•Travellers waiting to check-in at MMA2 Airport, also known as Murtala Muhammed Airport 2in Lagos. (Channels TV/ Usaini Nebianet)