Immigration and deportation
Nigeria: Scholz wants to expand migration centers
Chancellor Olaf Scholz flew to Lagos for talks with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The so-called migration centers in Nigeria should be given another task. Scholz sees potential in them for recruiting skilled workers – he discussed this with President Tinubu on site.
To this end, migration centers that were founded in Nigeria to support returnees from Germany are to be expanded. According to Scholz, in the future they will also be responsible for advising skilled workers who want to gain a foothold in Germany. “This requires some preparation and investment – on both sides,” said the Chancellor. He spoke about this with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
“I am convinced that this is another area where we can exploit enormous potential that arises from closer cooperation between our two countries and between our two continents,” said Scholz.
Nigeria requires identity verification
Tinubu had previously shown himself open to taking back refugees. When asked what he expected from Germany in return, he said at a joint press conference with Scholz: “I’m not making any demands.” If they are Nigerians, they are welcome home. The problem, however, is establishing identity. Of the almost 14,000 asylum seekers from Nigeria who are required to leave the country, around 12,500 are tolerated, largely because they have no identification documents.
A visit to a migration center is still on the Chancellor’s visit program in Lagos, one of the largest cities in the world with 20 million inhabitants. In the evening Scholz travels to Ghana, the second stop on his three-day trip.