Irregular migration and governance: implications for Nigeria

The global irregular migration crisis has gained momentum in the 21st century due to the high fatality rates and risks among vulnerable migrants in their quest to cross the scorching desert and violent sea. Irregular migration is the movement of people illegally and without the required or proper documentation across international borders. Migration is as old as humanity. Today, Africa faces the enormous challenges of high migratory flows across the Sahara Desert via North Africa and the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. The challenges of this trend include human trafficking, xenophobia, organ harvesting, and insecurity. Nigeria is not exempt from this crisis irrespective of its endowed natural/human resources, the advent of democracy, and its prominent role as the biggest economy in Africa. Nigeria is rated low in infrastructural and human capital development among nations. Many vulnerable youths are leaving the country in droves for a better living standard. This study examines the trends, triggers, and problems of governance on irregular migration and the implications for Nigeria. The study employs data from secondary sources such as journals, reports, books, and the internet for analysis. Also, the security theory of migration was employed to explain the irregular migration trends. The findings reveal that significant Nigerian youths are irregularly migrating in droves to Asia, the Middle East, and some African countries, But not only to Europe. It shows a thriving and growing industry of irregular migrants’ handlers in the country because of ineffective migration policies, unemployment, poverty, and porous borders. The study concludes that a more comprehensive public policy approach towards addressing unemployment, crushing poverty, humanitarian crises, insecurity, poor governance with attendant consequences of mismanagement of resources, and corruption would perhaps reduce the rise in irregular migration.