The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan has called Nigeria uninhabitable for young people.
FILE PHOTO- REUTERS
The outspoken Christian cleric spoke to the media ahead of a church gathering to address migration, calling out the federal government for not doing enough to make Nigerian youths want to remain in their country. He says that if he were the president of a nation where youths are running abroad, he would resign from office.
Cardinal Onaiyekan has lamented the continuous illegal migration of young Nigerians abroad despite reported dangers that they face.
Many Nigerian migrants come from southern Edo state, which an established base for people smugglers.
Women and girls are often trafficked out of the country after being promised a job opportunity – but many are forced into prostitution
“To tell you bluntly I’m ashamed, I’m ashamed – big cardinal from Abuja, I’m moving through the streets of Rome, Milan, Naples and I see my daughters on the street on sale,” the cardinal told the BBC.
He has also criticized officials for being preoccupied with building mansions and traveling around the world rather than tending to pressing matters in the country.
The cardinal noted that if a government is unable to provide good environment that will make youths stay at home, such an administration should leave office.
25 percent of Nigeria’s working age population is unemployed. As a result, thousands of Nigerians feel compelled to make the dangerous journey across the Sahara and over the Mediterranean to reach Europe in search of more economic opportunity.
However, figures show there has been a decline of those arriving in Italy by sea due to tougher EU- backed measures to crack down human traffickers.
