TheCable

Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, says Nigeria ranks third among countries with the highest number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean sea.

Sani disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday when Michel Arron, the ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Nigeria, paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

He highlighted the risks involved in the journey, and urged the government to lead the drive in bringing the issue of migration to global spotlight.

“It is of concern that Nigeria ranks third as one country by which young men and women do try to cross the Sahara to the Mediteranean,” Sani said.

“The consequences of our young men and women moving away from Nigeria through the Sahara and trying to get to Europe is that three things happen.

“It’s that they either end up in the hands of terrorists in Libya or many of them end up as drug traffickers or they become sex slaves when they cross over to Europe.”

Sani said it was in reaction to the high rate of migration that he came up with initiatives like the`Pan Africa Initiative against irregular migration’ and another on `The Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East’.

He said the programmes were aimed at stemming the tide of migration from Nigeria to Europe.

“It also aims at bringing the parliament within the African continent to make this as a major agenda which we will pursue to the last,” he said

“It is unfortunate that thousands of young men and women from Africa migrate from Africa to Europe risking their lives.

“It is an issue of concern that our young men and women that ought to remain at home and live a productive life are being deceived to embark on an elusive journey from sub-Saharan Africa through Libya.”

He urged the EU to rescue and empower the migrants to enable them to serve their country and the continent in general.

Responding, Arron said it was sad to see young people losing their lives by embarking on the journey through the desert.

“We really must do something together. It is indeed something that the EU is doing with a few priority countries of Africa and in particular with Nigeria given simply the demographic weight of Nigeria,” he said.

“We do receive and welcome more than a million of refugees in Europe; over the last 12 months, we have received and welcomed more than one million of refugees; Asylum seekers, people fleeing their country that is affected by war.

“All those poor people leaving Syria, leaving Afghanistan, leaving Iraq – all those people have got the right to be considered asylum seekers.”