German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Bernhard Schlagheck, has pledged his country’s support to assist Nigeria address the challenge of irregular migrants from Nigeria to other countries.
Dr Tope Elias-Fatile, the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the envoy stated this when he visited Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja.
NAN reports that Germany had initiated a vocational and skill acquisition programme for voluntary irregular migrant returnees from Germany.
The EU and Germany recently agreed to support Nigeria on the release of funds on vocational skills for migrants.
The programme was aimed at helping irregular migrants in Germany to return to Nigeria willingly rather being deported, and had something to fall back on upon returning.
Germany had in 2017 said that over 12,000 Nigerians were in the country seeking for asylum and might not be granted because there was no basis for that, but would be deported.
Fatile said that the German envoy also invited Nigeria to participate in the energy conference in Berlin in April.
“The ambassador expressed the belief that Nigeria would be interested in such conference and urged Nigeria to key in to the ongoing energy transition and statutory,” he said.
He said that the German example of energy transition could show that climate change was actually compatible with economic prosperity and growth which was very important.
Schlagheck had pledged to cooperate with Nigeria for an increase use of renewable energy and support the energy sector to improve access to electricity.
“The envoy also mentioned about the Bi-national commission between Nigeria and Germany which would be held in Germany in 2018.
“The ambassador noted that the last was held in Nigeria in 2017, stressing that preparation was going on for the next meeting in June in Germany,” he said.
Onyeama used the occasion to thank Germany for its humanitarian assistance to Nigerian especially in the North-east where Germany had raised about 90 million dollars to see how they could assist.
The minister said that Nigeria would be interested in the energy conference and the Bi-national commission scheduled for June this year. (NAN)
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