25 YEARS OF IOM IN NIGERIA

IOM partnership with Nigeria should evolve into making mobility safer and expanding opportunities

For 25 years, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has worked alongside the Government and people of Nigeria through a period in which migration and human mobility have become increasingly important to the country’s humanitarian, economic and development landscape. Over the years, IOM has supported Nigeria in strengthening migration governance and institutions, while working across humanitarian response, migrant protection, border management, return and reintegration, recovery, resilience-building and sustainable development. This is significant because migration can no longer be viewed only through the lens of crisis or people leaving the country. It is equally about how mobility, when well governed, can create opportunities for individuals, communities and the wider economy.

It is indeed remarkable that in 2001 with a small presence in Lagos IOM has grown into an operational footprint across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Since 2014, it has provided humanitarian assistance to more than 2.5 million people across Nigeria. Nearly 500,000 displaced people have received shelter assistance, and more than 737,000 people have been supported with access to safe drinking water. Behind these figures are families forced from their homes by conflict or disaster and communities that have had to absorb people arriving in search of safety. IOM’s work has therefore increasingly sought to connect immediate humanitarian assistance with recovery and longer-term solutions, helping people move beyond emergency support towards greater stability and resilience.

This broader focus is reflected in the anniversary’s framing of IOM’s work as moving from migration management towards mobility, opportunity and resilience. In recent years, a major area of IOM’s work has been the voluntary return and reintegration of our citizens stranded abroad. As of October 2026, more than 71,000 Nigerians had been assisted to return and reintegrate since 2017, according to the Chief of Mission, Sharon Dimanche. But returning home is only part of the journey. Reintegration is ultimately about whether people can rebuild their lives with dignity and establish a sustainable future. IOM’s anniversary materials report that more than 54,000 returnees have received at least one form of socioeconomic reintegration assistance, alongside livelihood and skills-development support and other forms of assistance designed around individual needs.

The past quarter-century has also demonstrated that this migration story extends far beyond return migration and humanitarian emergencies. Nigeria is a country of origin, transit and destination, and its young population, diaspora, regional position and economic weight mean that well-managed migration can contribute significantly to national development. This thinking shaped the celebration of 25 years of IOM in Nigeria last Thursday. As Vice President Kashim Shettima observed in his message marking the anniversary, migration should not be regarded only as a challenge to be managed, but also as an opportunity that can be harnessed through skills development, safer and regular mobility pathways, productive opportunities for young Nigerians and stronger engagement with the diaspora.

This forward-looking approach matters particularly at a time when Nigeria’s demographic growth is creating both opportunity and urgency. Young Nigerians need skills, jobs and credible pathways to opportunity, whether at home or abroad. And Nigeria’s diaspora represents an important reservoir of skills, investment, innovation and global networks that can contribute to national development. IOM’s 25-year presence in Nigeria therefore tells a much broader story than that of a humanitarian organisation assisting people in crisis. It is the story of a partnership that has evolved alongside Nigeria itself: from responding to immediate migration and humanitarian challenges to working with government, communities and partners to build stronger systems and explore how human mobility can contribute to development.

After 25 years, the more important measure of success should no longer be how many people IOM has assisted, but whether the partnership can help make mobility safer, expand opportunity and build resilience for the next generation.