Otti Calls for Safe, Orderly Migration, Diaspora Investment in South-East
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has called for a coordinated South-East migration strategy that will ensure Nigerians who travel abroad acquire skills, experience and capital that can contribute to the development of their communities and the country.
Otti represented by his Deputy Engr Ikechukwu Emetu during the inaugural South-East Migration Dialogue 2026, themed “Partnership for a Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.”held in umuahia,Abia State.
The Governor said migration had become more than an issue of human mobility, stressing that it was now a strategic matter involving human capital development, economic growth, national security and international opportunities.
He said the South-East should move beyond asking why its people were leaving the country and instead focus on ensuring that wherever they go, Nigeria’s development travels with them, while the knowledge, capital and experience they acquire abroad return to the country.
Otti said the experiences of countries such as India and the Philippines had shown how organised migration could generate remittances, skills and international networks, while South Africa offered lessons on the consequences of poorly governed migration.
He therefore advocated a system where Nigerians are trained and certified locally, migrate safely and legally, acquire experience globally, and contribute to development through investment, knowledge transfer or eventual return.
The Governor said Abia was already preparing young people for the emerging global economy through initiatives such as the Abia Leadership Academy and TechRise, which he said were equipping youths with leadership and digital skills.
He called for five practical outcomes from the dialogue, including the adoption of a coordinated South-East migration and development framework, improved migration data and digital skills, promotion of safe and legal migration, mobilisation of diaspora capital and expertise, and stronger protection and reintegration programmes for returning migrants.
Otti stressed that the states were not seeking to take over the constitutional responsibilities of the Federal Government in immigration and foreign affairs, but would complement national policy through skills development, data management, investment facilitation, migration protection and diaspora engagement.
He urged stakeholders to move “from brain drain to brain circulation, from remittances to investments, from irregular migration to safe mobility, and from policy declarations to measurable actions.”
In her goodwill message, the wife of the Governor, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, represented by the commissioner for Taritary Education,Prof. Uche Eme Uche, said the South-East had a long history of migration, with its people travelling in search of education, employment, business opportunities and better livelihoods.
She expressed concern over the dangers faced by migrants, particularly women and children who are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation, and called for stronger collaboration among government, traditional institutions, religious bodies, civil society organisations and families to promote safe migration.
Mrs. Otti said Abia had established the Abia Diaspora Commission to strengthen engagement with citizens abroad and had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to strengthen migration governance.
She also said the administration’s policy of “invest-migration” was aimed at making Abia sufficiently secure and prosperous for its people to remain at home and for those in the diaspora to consider returning.
In his keynote address, the Federal Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Aliyu Tijjani Ahmed, commended the Abia State Government for hosting the dialogue and supporting returning migrants.
Ahmed disclosed that the Commission had selected Abia State as a proposed location for the South-East Regional Rehabilitation Centre, which would serve as a regional hub for returning migrants and other vulnerable persons requiring skills, enterprise development and livelihood support.
He also commended Governor Otti for supporting Abia indigenes who recently returned from South Africa with N1 million each, describing the intervention as an example of government support for sustainable reintegration.
Ahmed said the reviewed National Migration Policy, adopted by the Federal Executive Council, provided an updated framework for managing migration in a safe, orderly, humane and development-oriented manner.
Also Speaking, the South-East Zonal Coordinator of the South East Migration Dialogue 2026.Mr. Jeto Nwadi, described the dialogue as an important regional platform for examining migration challenges and agreeing on practical solutions.
Nwadi urged participants to move beyond identifying challenges and determine who should act, what partnerships were required and how commitments could be translated into measurable results.
The dialogue brought together stakeholders from the five South-East states, federal institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, academia, the private sector, the media, migrant associations and diaspora communities.
