CurrentReport Blog The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has cautioned Nigerians against migrating to countries with worse living conditions than Nigeria. In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Dabiri-Erewa urged Nigerian influencers and bloggers to join the government’s efforts in warning citizens about the dangers of fleeing to these countries.
“Please, we appeal to bloggers and influencers. Help us appeal to Nigerians that where you are running to is worse than where you are running from (Nigeria),” Dabiri-Erewa said.
Her statement comes in response to a recent viral video of Nigerians detained in a Malian prison, pleading for assistance to return home. Dabiri-Erewa expressed shock over the situation, noting that some of the individuals in the video had previously been rescued by the Nigerian government but had returned to Mali.
“I want to address a viral video of some girls shouting from a prison in Mali, asking to be returned home. Some time ago, the chief of defence staff helped us bring back some girls,” she explained. “That they found themselves back in Mali is shocking.”
She further appealed to Nigerians to respect the laws of other countries and warned against irregular migration, emphasizing the dangers associated with criminal activities abroad. Dabiri-Erewa reassured that the Nigerian mission in Mali is working to bring the detainees back, but urged citizens to reconsider risky migration paths.