Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), says about 7,000 Nigerian migrants are currently stranded in Libya.
Dabiri-Erewa disclosed this on Tuesday at the launch of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Strategic Plan for Nigeria (2025–2027) in Abuja.
“As we speak, 7,000 Nigerians are stranded in Libya. In 2025, people still travel through the desert to die,” she said.
The IOM, meanwhile, has ranked Nigeria among the countries with the highest rate of irregular migration.
Ugochi Florence Daniels, IOM’s deputy director-general (operations), said 70,000 irregular migrants have been returned to Nigeria since the organisation began operations in the country in 2001.
Daniels, who spoke during a courtesy visit to Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs, said about 27,000 of those migrants have been reintegrated into society through IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) programme.
She pledged the organisation’s commitment to promoting humane and orderly migration, and to supporting Nigeria in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on her part, reiterated the federal government’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with IOM to tackle irregular migration.
She attributed the surge in irregular migration, particularly among young people, to the persistent myth of “greener pastures” abroad, noting that government campaigns to dispel the perception are ongoing.
The minister also acknowledged IOM’s longstanding cooperation with Nigeria in supporting vulnerable migrants and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Citing the organisation’s current financial constraints, she urged IOM to prioritise programmes that address the pressing needs of migrants in line with national priorities, and to harmonise activities with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
She advised the organisation to leverage its global status to secure funding partnerships from non-traditional donors.