The Federal Government of Nigeria and the European Union have finalised an agreement that will facilitate the return of Nigerians living in European countries without valid immigration documents.
The agreement is part of ongoing discussions between Nigeria and the European Union on migration management, border control and cooperation in addressing irregular migration.
The arrangement is expected to establish a framework for identifying and returning Nigerian nationals who do not have legal permission to remain in European countries.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, explained that the agreement covers three categories of Nigerians: those with valid travel documents, those who have lost or destroyed their travel documents, and those who travelled without proper identification.
He added that the Federal Government has integrated more than 17 billion migration records into an automated system to make it easier for authorities to verify the identities of Nigerians being returned.
The EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, described the agreement as an important development in relations between Nigeria and Europe. He also disclosed that approximately 260,000 Nigerians are legally resident in EU member states.
Both parties have also expressed interest in expanding cooperation in areas such as legal migration opportunities, police cooperation and the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
The agreement comes after nearly ten years of negotiations and is expected to strengthen migration management between Nigeria and European countries.
What this means: Nigerians living legally in Europe are not automatically affected by this agreement. It primarily concerns people who no longer have legal grounds to remain in EU member states.
