THE Federal Government has disclosed plans to establish an Institute of Migration Studies in Kebbi State to be affiliated with some Nigerian universities and few West African countries.
Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Mohammed Babandede, who made this known in Abuja during a meeting with the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Rasheed Abubakar.
He said NIS was partnering with NUC in ensuring the success of the Institute which would be situated in Toga, Kebbi State.
Babandede said: “One thing we have to do if we want to develop our country is to develop our intellectual capacity. Our idea to reform the NIS is with the support from the NUC. We are envisaging a Migration Institution for West African countries.”
He noted that Nigeria Immigration Service was committed to tackling the challenges of migration management in West Africa, saying the proposed institute would check migration issues and assist all neighbouring countries including French speaking nations in tackling their migration challenges.
“This institution that will be situated in Toga, Kebbi State, Nigeria will be an institution that will be affiliated to universities and we realise that for us to succeed on the plan we have to partner with the NUC for guidelines so that we can have an institution that will develop capacity for migration challenges,” he said.
NUC Executive Secretary, Prof Abubakar, said NUC and NIS would work together to promote migration studies in Nigeria and for the whole of west Africa.
He said the Commission would give intellectual shape to the Institute of Migration Studies and to also help create high standard dimension to extend the institute to the West Africa Sub-region.
On the centrality of migration in the world affair today, the NUC boss said many governments of the World fall and rise because of migration issues, saying the role of the Commission was to work closely with the NIS to see to the take off of the proposed West African institute for migration studies.
Abubakar, noted that NUC would ensure that programmes of studies related to migration field are initiated into the curriculum of the institute while also engaging credible professors in building of course and curriculum that would be taught.
On enhancement of cross border education and the affliation of the Institute to universities in and outside Nigeria, the NUC boss said the choice of the universities could be one from Nigeria and another from the francophone neighbouring countries.
He stressed that Nigeria needs more access and in need of specialised universities thereby opening up the sector for more investment while maintaining quality.
“We need more access and quality and diversity. That is why most of the universities we are talking about now are specialised. We even have individuals we are working with to establish private medical university.
“The ICT University being initiated by Nigeria’s Ministry of Communication, is in line and in most developed countries they have multi media university. It is in line with this that we welcome the proposal of the NIS to establish an institute for migration studies to tackle problems of migration from the perspective of west Africa sub region,” he said.
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