Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has said the realisation of President Bola Tinubu administration's trillion-dollar economy target would drastically reduce the problem of irregular migration, popularly known as Japa syndrome in Nigeria.
Bagudu spoke yesterday in Abuja at an anti-migration summit organised by a non-governmental organisation, Blacks Ancestral Native Communities (BANC).
He said the present administration was making efforts to curtail irregular migration by Nigerians through policies and programmes targeted at boosting the economy and creating employment.
The minister said most of the policy measures being pursued by the federal government were meant to support the country's aspiration to attain higher economic goals.
Bagudu said the federal government realised the urgent need to advance the economy to an enviable level, where it could support Nigeria's leadership status as the pride of Africa.
He said, "A two trillion-dollar economy will support the correction of all of what we are here talking about - irregular migration or the Japa syndrome in Nigeria. Nigeria is not seeking to end migration by her citizens, but to ensure that people only migrate out of choice, not by compulsion."
Bagudu said irregular migration had a lot of unintended negative outcomes, adding that human trafficking and drug peddling are some of the ills that irregular migration has put the youth into.
He said the country's demographic advantage could serve as an opportunity to support regular migration, but advised those seeking to migrate to ensure proper documentation and careful choices regarding the nature jobs they were going to do in their destination countries.
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Bagudu said the federal government was currently empowering the Nigerian youth through many youth-friendly policies and programmes.
Earlier, the guest speaker, Professor Patrick Lumumba, a respected Kenyan lawyer, activist, and commentator, said if Nigeria wanted to be respected across Africa and beyond, it must seek to attain a $2 trillion economy, and not just cerebrate and flaunt the attainment of $500 billion.
Lumumba lambasted African leaders, who attended the recent China-Africa Investment Summit held in Beijing, for wasting scarce resources on large entourage and luxurious acquisition during the trip.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BANC, Dr. Chibuzor Onyema, said in order to make irregular migration less attractive, the government must first address the root causes, the issues that pushed people to leave their home countries in such desperate conditions.
Onyema stated, "These causes include poverty, unemployment, lack of access to quality education, political instability, and insecurity.
"Governments and leaders at all levels must prioritise creating an environment where young people can prosper and build fulfilling lives within their own countries."
Chairman of BANC, Sani Bako, said the group will work through research, advocacy, and community engagement to see how it could prevent human trafficking and exploitation.
Bako stated that BANC will support migrant integration and inclusion, and promote policy reforms and international cooperation.
