From ODIMMEGWA JOHNPETER, Abuja
THE Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige has urged the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), to support the Federal Government’s vocational skills acquisition program as well as promote trade test certificate issued by the ministry for skills export.
The Minister who stated this recently when he received on courtesy visit the Chief of Mission, International Organisation for Migration, Ms Enira Krdzalic observed that many skilled youths took the part of irregular migration with its attendant danger due to lack of information, he called on IOM to do more in the area of advocacy, publicity and sensitisation through the newly established Migrant Resource Centre under the 10th European Union Development Project.
According to him “irregular migration is one of the worst problems because some of these migrants have skills and vocations that can actually put them on the part of regular migration, but because of the absence of information and knowledge they veer off and undertake the part of irregular migration which has caused them a lot of hazard”.
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Speaking further, Ngige said that he is confident that the ministry’s partnership with IOM will afford skilled Nigerians the opportunity to work abroad as regular migrant with relevant documents thereby reducing the spate of irregular migration and the danger it posed to the youths.
Earlier in her remarks, the Chief of Mission IOM, Ms Enira Krdzalic said her organisation is partnering with the Ministry of Labour and Employment to promote gainful employment opportunity as government alone cannot generate all the needed jobs.
She added that IOM has assisted the ministry in upgrading the National Electronic Labour Exchange portal (NELEX), including establishment of six job centres located in Lagos, Asaba, Awka, Bauchi, Kaduna and Abuja, as well as the establishment of Migrant Resource Centre for easy dissemination of information to intending migrants.