Dare Babalola
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has highlighted Nigeria’s push for a unified regional migration database as he joined counterparts across the ECOWAS subregion at the Migration Dialogue for West Africa (MIDWA) held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
In a post shared on Thursday, Tunji-Ojo said the meeting brought together ministers in charge of immigration and border management to review and validate key recommendations from regional technical consultations conducted between 2024 and early 2026.
According to him, the dialogue also aimed at securing ministerial endorsement and political commitment for regional and national work plans developed by member states’ experts.
The plans focus on migration data governance, border management, labour migration, and climate-related mobility.
He said Nigeria used the platform to reiterate its position on the establishment of an ECOWAS Information System—a unified database of citizens across member states.
In his remarks, Tunji-Ojo stressed that such an integrated system would enhance migration management, strengthen border security, and promote legitimate trade and economic activity within the subregion without undermining national security.
“This integrated system will not only become a smart way to manage migration and secure our geographical spaces, it will also help facilitate legitimate trade and businesses without compromising the security of individual member states,” he said.
He further noted that sustained collaboration among ECOWAS countries on migration reforms could significantly transform the region, potentially evolving ECOWAS into a stronger supranational institution in the near future.
