Yemisi Izuora
Worried about the challenges faced by illegal migrants seeking for better future outside the country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other stakeholders in Edo state has launched a Multimedia campaign to help youths make informed migration-related decisions
This is to address the growing evidence of the dangers migrants face on their irregular journeys to Europe, many young Nigerians do not have access to what could be life-saving information.
To fill this gap, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), community members in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha, two local government areas (LGAs) in Edo State, Nigeria, and local authorities, recently launched WAKA Well by IOM X (WAKA a pidgin word meaning move)
The campaign aims to prevent exploitation associated with irregular migration by empowering Nigerian youth to make informed migration-related decisions.
An IOM study conducted in September 2019 in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha, revealed that 58 per cent (out of 419 respondents) aged between 13 and 40 have not heard or seen information on the dangers of irregular migration in the last year.
Additionally, 58 per cent indicated that friends were there the primary source for information about migration and 66 percent said they generally get information about job opportunities through word-of-mouth. A lack of access to accurate and trustworthy information, both online and in-person, on regular migration options and the available opportunities in Nigeria were identified as key knowledge gaps.
“WAKA Well by IOM X includes a video highlighting migration experiences and individual definitions of success,” said Abraham Tamrat, IOM Nigeria Programme Manager. “The videos were created and validated through a process which brought together relevant stakeholders, including government and civil society partners from Oredo and Ikpoba Okha between August and December.”
WAKA Well by IOM X also features a new online platform, WAKAwell.info, that provides reliable information for community members about migration pathways and local opportunities.
Edo state alone accounts for 42 percent of the 18,079 stranded migrants received by IOM and the Federal Government of Nigeria from April 2017 to October 2019.
WAKA Well by IOM X West Africa is produced together with community members and government representatives in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha and supported by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.