Dare Babalola
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Wednesday highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s remarks at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, where he condemned the targeting of immigrants in some African countries and called for collective action on migration challenges.
The minister, in a post on X, said Tinubu made the remarks during the High-Level Plenary Session on Peace and Security held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Tuesday.
She described the President’s intervention as a strong statement on migration, human rights and African solidarity before a gathering of leaders from across the continent.
“It must be recognized that migration is a fact of history of human civilizations across generations. Migration is not a crime, and migrants should not be subjected to jungle justice in utter disregard of their basic rights to live as human beings as well as the cherished African values of family, brotherhood, sanctity of life and solidarity,” Tinubu said.
The Nigerian leader also warned against the politicisation of migration, saying destination countries often face internal political pressures that distort public debate.
“Too often, the result is the weaponization of migration — both by those who use fear of the outsider to fracture the very multilateralism we need. Some others hold migrants solely responsible for the socio-economic challenges they face for political and electoral advantages,” he stated.
Tinubu further stressed that violence against immigrants must be confronted through responsible leadership at all levels of society and government.
“Addressing the violence against immigrants requires responsible leadership at all levels of our society and government. It should not be allowed to threaten African unity and solidarity,” he said.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s position on migration management, Tinubu said no country could handle the issue alone and called for deeper cooperation among nations.
“Nigeria’s position remains unequivocal: no single nation, whether source, transit or destination, can manage migration in isolation. A challenge this complex demands structured, equitable and sustained cooperation between countries,” he said.
He added that migrants must be treated justly and in line with democratic principles.
“As essential pillars of good governance, migrants must be treated fairly in accordance with the rule of law,” Tinubu added.
