The Federal Government has identified misinformation and false promises as major drivers of irregular migration, warning that decisions based on misleading information can expose prospective migrants to serious risks and devastating consequences.
The warning was contained in a speech by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Kemi Nandap, at a Stakeholder Sensitisation and Engagement Seminar held in Abuja on Wednesday.
Nandap, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Visa and Residency, Dr Franca Usiwoma Nwanneka, said people migrate in pursuit of education, employment, safety and better opportunities, but stressed the need for accurate information to guide their decisions.
“Every day people choose to migrate in pursuit of education, employment, safety, and better opportunities. While these aspirations are legitimate, decisions based on misinformation, false promises, or limited awareness of safe and lawful migration pathways can expose individuals to serious risks and devastating consequences,” she said.
The seminar was themed “Bridging the Information Gap: Promoting Informed, Safe and Regular Migration.”
Nandap said human trafficking, migrant smuggling, travel fraud and irregular migration highlighted the risks posed by inadequate information and intelligence-sharing among operational stakeholders.
“Preventing these risks requires more than border control. It begins with equipping prospective migrants with accurate, timely, and reliable information to make informed decisions and pursue safe, lawful migration pathways,” she said.
The NIS chief described the service as the agency with statutory responsibility for immigration control and migration management, adding that it continues to strengthen its operational capacity through institutional reforms, modern border management technologies, intelligence gathering and improved service delivery.
She cited the recent deployment of the border control and immigration management system, alongside other technology-driven platforms, as evidence of the service’s efforts to build a modern, responsive and intelligence-led immigration service.
She, however, acknowledged that technology alone cannot address the underlying factors driving irregular migration.
“Nevertheless, we recognise that even the most sophisticated border management systems cannot on their own address the underlying factors that encourage irregular migration,” she said.
Nandap said the seminar was organised to develop actionable solutions to emerging challenges associated with irregular migration.
She stressed that public sensitisation, community engagement and cooperation among relevant institutions must remain central to efforts to promote safe and lawful migration.
“Migration sensitisation is a shared responsibility that cannot be left to the Nigeria Immigration Service alone,” she said.
The comptroller-general urged government agencies, security institutions, development partners, traditional and community leaders, civil society organisations, educational institutions, transport operators and the media to go beyond discussions and take coordinated, practical steps to combat misinformation and raise public awareness.
“Together, we must ensure that accurate migration information reaches every community, particularly those most vulnerable to exploitation and irregular migration,” she added.
Also speaking, the Senior Programme Associate of the International Organization for Migration, IOM, Nnenna Onuoha, who represented the organisation’s Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Mrs Sharon Dimanche, said the partnership between the IOM and the NIS had continued to grow stronger and produce tangible results.
Onuoha wished participants fruitful deliberations and actionable outcomes, expressing hope that their discussions would help make regular migration a more common and accessible option in Nigeria.
