Osemene: It was 91 days of hell on Libya route

February 04, 2019

Credits: Osita Osemene/Twitter

Experience, they say, is the best teacher; therefore for Osita Osemene, an ex immigrant, rushing out through irregular route to Europe in search of greener pasture, is not only demeaning but unrewarding.

Having travelled the tortuous road before, Osemene, who is now project coordinator, Patriotic Citizen Initiatives, a non governmental organisation that counsels intending immigrants, shared his experience with an audience in a paper he presented on ‘Migration: Current Trends’ put together by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, in Abuja.

Specifically, Osemene’s paper dwelt on assessing the risk of irregular migration along the Central Mediterranean Route using Nigeria as a case study.

“We need to change the mindset that moving to Europe is the only way to make it. Parents need to stop giving away their children to traffickers."

“We should tell Nigerians that the grass is not greener over there as they think. Let them stay back and make a living here in our country. Today, many youths have been lost and human capacity destroyed through human trafficking and irregular migration.

Many youths fall victims of traffickers who place adverts of fictitious job offers abroad and promises of easy visa. On the internet and on the streets, you will see adverts promising free visa to Europe, Dubai and others. These are all temptations. These people capitalise on our youths who are poor and unemployed. We need to understand that these are all fake”, he cautioned.