No fewer than 20,000 irregular migrants from Kano State have been returned from different countries across the world between 2017 and 2022, a non-governmental organisation working on migration issues has revealed.
The Project Manager of Resilient Opportunities for Outreach Trade and Sustainability (ROOTS), Halima Usman, disclosed this while speaking to journalists at a workshop organised by the Adolescent Health and Information Project (AHIP) in Kano.
Usman attributed the high number of returnees to rising unemployment and limited economic opportunities, particularly among young people, noting that irregular migration has become a coping strategy for many youths seeking better livelihoods abroad.
She explained that recent statistics indicate that about 65 per cent of Kano State’s population is under the age of 30, with roughly 40 per cent of this demographic currently unemployed.
“This situation has contributed significantly to massive irregular migration among youths in search of greener pastures. Between 2017 and 2022, about 20,000 of them were deported back to Kano from different parts of the world,” she said.
Usman revealed that ROOTS is developing programmes to reintegrate returnees by engaging them in skills acquisition, creating economic opportunities and linking them with funding sources to support their trades and small businesses.
She also lamented what she described as poor implementation of the National Action Plan on Gender and Climate Change, as well as other intervention programmes designed to address vulnerability and unemployment.
Calling on the media to play a more active role, Usman urged journalists to intensify public awareness campaigns against irregular migration, stressing the importance of proper documentation and adherence to the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement.
She said sustained sensitisation would help reduce the risks associated with irregular migration and encourage young people to explore safer, legal alternatives for mobility and employment.
Ahmad Sorondinki
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