Exodus of skilled youths abroad worries Fed Govt Tinubu… 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is disturbed by the exodus of skilled youths from Nigeria in search of greener pastures abroad.

The President is also concerned that many of these migrants are educationally-equipped youths on whom national resources have been expended.

He restated his administration’s commitment to reverse the trend with the creation of job opportunities for the teeming youths.

The President spoke through Humanitarian Affairs/Poverty Alleviation Minister Dr. Betta Edu at the annual National Dialogue on Migration (NDM) organised by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) to mark this year’s International Migrants’ Day in Abuja.

Tinubu said: “Statistics on the global migrant population is not cheering; as current estimates indicate over one billion persons are classified today as international (28 million) and internal migrants (740 million) by the International Office for Migration.

“The numbers for Nigeria is not pleasant either, as millions of our country men and women and other ECOWAS citizens within Nigeria are classified as migrants in various categories such as: Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Returnees. Obviously the mandate of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs is by no means enviable.

“In particular the recent upsurge of youth migration to locations outside Nigeria is surely a matter for concern, particularly given the fact that majority of the affected youths are skilled individuals on whom national resources have been expended.”

Going by the claim of British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, Jonny Baxter the United Kingdom (UK) issued 132,000 visas to Nigerians in the first half of this year.

On weekly basis, hundreds of Nigerians, including women and children, are being deported on the intervention of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Libya.  

Thousands of others throng the embassies of the United States (US), Canada, France embassies for visas to relocate from Nigeria.

But Tinubu assured that his administration’s social and economic policies and programmes are targeted at improving the general welfare of Nigerians, reducing the incidence of extreme poverty and producing jobs for young graduates.