Today being International Migrants Day, the Honourable Federal Commissioner National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Senator Basheer Garba Mohammed, has called on Nigerians to remember and identify with unfortunate victims of irregular migration and those who have lost their lives in search of greener pastures in foreign countries.
He made the request Wednesday in Abuja while leading a road walk of partners migration and hundreds of FCT residents from the Old Parade in Garki to Area 1 roundabout.
Quoting the words of former President of the UN General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák, Mohammed said that it is fitting for Nigerians to reflect on what migration means for the world as we have never lived in a world without migration.
He said: “There are different theories about how humans came to planet earth, but one thing we can agree on, however, is that we have always moved. We are all migrants. Migration is a part of our humanity. It would not be possible to make it disappear. Therefore, we are advocating for safe, regular and dignified migration. This road walk is a symbol of solidarity with our brothers and sisters who have lost their lives or have gone missing during perilous journeys through the desert or by the sea in search of a better life.
“We remember many who have drowned at sea. The uncountable migrants sold as slaves and confined in detention centres. We remember also, the unknown or the faceless that were left behind during the journey and those that have been forgotten. We walk in solidarity with those who have been uprooted, expelled, forced into emigration and driven out of their homes. I talk about people who have been uprooted regardless of whether they are black or white, young or old, male or female, Christian or Muslim and who have the same painful experiences etched in their souls.”
He added: “Hundreds of thousands of these people perished because of acts of war, disease, hunger, rape as well as exhaustion and forced labour. We are also here in solidarity with people whom, in their thousands and millions, fled their homes and lost their relatives during their flight. I mean those looking for a country where they can be free and safe; a country in which they can live to determine their own lives in freedom.
“I would also like to remind those at home that are planning on doing the same, that your lives are more valuable and there are options for them at home. Even if you choose to travel, there are safer and more humane channels of doing so. To all of you who are here today, I want to ask you to be kind to migrants. I also urge you to become advocates and educators of the dangers of irregular migration.”
