FG blames mistreatment of Nigerians abroad

The federal government has said that part of the causes of irregular migration to Europe and other parts of the world by Nigerians is due to the mistreatment many Nigerians face abroad.

However, the government warned young people in the country against irregular migration to Europe and other developed countries.

This was stated by the Director of Economic Trade and Investment of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Akinremi Bolaji, at the launch of the EuroAfrica Polish Language Center in Abuja.

According to him, the government does not encourage irregular migration. Therefore, he advised Nigerians who wish to seek greener pastures abroad to do so within the bounds of the law.

He said: “The government does not encourage irregular migration. But we do understand that it is part of the basic human right to move. That is why the government emphasizes that those who want to move must do so within the limits of the law.

“Countries want what you have, but they just want you to come legally or with papers. And that’s why you need registered services like EuroAfrica, who are known by the government and regulatory bodies to help you.

“Such can organize the right path for you to travel. But if you say Japa (escape), you see that if you go to another’s land without entering the place properly, you will be treated badly and the law will find it very difficult to support you. That is why we are making it loud and clear that no one is trying to encroach on anyone’s freedom of travel, but you must have something, such as basic knowledge.”

In addition, he noted that most reports of mistreatment of Nigerians abroad were not well documented because the victims mostly traveled illegally

“Now, all the abuse reports we receive are because most of our people have not migrated properly. If you are documented with the Department of Labor and Employment when you travel and you are documented by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) and we know the employer who is the agent you are bringing, if your host mistreats you, we can track down that host, but if you travel illegally, it becomes a challenge,” Bolaji noted.

Speaking about the importance of the EuroAfrica Polish Language Centre, he insisted on the need for language exchange to grow economic activities between countries.

He said: “People-to-people connection is the pinnacle of connection countries crave and Europe needs Africa today, but language has always been a barrier.

“With this center here I also believe that somewhere in Poland they will learn to speak Yoruba or Hausa because we are one people and we need each other. They come to Lagos to do business. It will be easier for them if they learn to speak Yoruba, so this is just a stepping stone.

“When you go to Poland, it’s a white environment, a white culture, and their language is what they speak. So once you walk in without being able to say anything, they’ll know you’re a stranger. And if your paper is incorrect, you run the risk. And so this is very good that it’s trying to bring up the service.

“So instead of encouraging Japan, this initiative will encourage real regular migration and labor migration and encourage record keeping and the government could know how many citizens have left, where they are, what industry they serve. and who their employer is.

In his speech, the founder of the center, Olakunle Alayande, revealed that the aim of the center was to pass on the language and culture of Poland to the youth of Nigeria.

He said: “I have lived in Poland for two decades and have been involved in education for a while. My file shows that I brought more than 400 students to Poland as individual students and exchange students and that they all graduated.

“Didn’t I, I found that many Nigerians are not integrated into the Polish system in terms of knowledge of the language and are not able to find their pace in the territory of Poland, in terms of getting an adequate job they could get in terms of knowledge of Polish.

“The only option they have is to simply find work through multinationals. But by the time you start to learn the language or can speak the language, even if it is the basic knowledge of Polish, you will get ample opportunities to work with the Polish company or multinational companies.

“So after myself, my wife and my team saw the benefits it would be for the privilege of Nigerian students, we decided to bring this opportunity to Nigeria.

Aleksandra Alayande, the co-founder of the center, stated that the benefits of learning Polish or more than one language make one stand out in academic competitions.

“In addition to the position, relevant experienced companies often look for a candidate who can offer more cultural diversity,” she says.

She said that learning Polish is “necessary if one intends to run a business in Poland”.

“Polish economy is one of the strongest in the region, so the language is in high demand,” she said.