A group, the Migration Enlightenment Project Nigeria (MEPN), has protested the death of over 700 Nigerians who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to migrate to Europe through illegal routes in the past six months.
The Director of MEPN, Femi Awoniyi, in Abuja, complained that the figure of those who die in the Sea is low compared to the figure of Nigerians who die in the Sahara Desert.
MEPN Director noted that Nigerians constitute the highest number of illegal migrants from Africa. He said that Nigerians have the highest rate of rejection among sub-Sahara asylum applicants in the European Union, EU.
Awoniyi said the MEPN will increase awareness on the risks and dangers of irregular migration; and to correct the misconception that there are better job opportunities outside the shores of Nigeria.
“This year alone, more than 1,500 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, many of them Nigerians.
“This is not even counting those who have died travelling through the Sahara Desert, or in the transit countries.
“Everybody knows that more than half of Saharan migrants in Africa are Nigerians. We cannot count the number of people who die in the Sahara Desert. Experts say more people die in the Sahara Desert than the Mediterranean.
“For those who are lucky to reach Europe, a difficult struggle to obtain legal residency begins. More than 30,000 Nigerians are currently awaiting deportation in Germany alone.
“Their asylum claims have been rejected since Nigeria is not considered by the European Union as a country where there is political persecution,” he said.