Addressing Migration Without Confronting Poverty is Incomplete, Says Minister

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Boro, has said addressing migration without confronting poverty is incomplete, while stressing that poverty remains one of the strongest drivers of irregular migration, internal mobility and vulnerability. 

He also revealed that Nigeria currently hosts over six million internally displaced persons (IDPs), many of whom live not in camps, but within host communities, a reality, he said, reinforces the need for policies that go beyond emergency response and focus on durable solutions, community stabilisation and social cohesion. 

Boro stated this on Thursday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2025 national migration dialogue with the theme ‘The Revised National Migration Policy: Setting a New Momentum for National Migration Governance.’ 

He said climate change has further intensified migration pressures, particularly in rural communities affected by flooding, desertification and loss of livelihoods.

He lamented that rural-urban migration, particularly among young people, is accelerating due to socio-economic pressures, limited livelihoods and uneven development. These realities demand a policy framework that is responsive, humane and people-centred.

He noted that through key social protection and livelihood interventions such as the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), and targeted humanitarian assistance, the ministry has continued to address the root causes that compel people to move in distress.

He said it was therefore critical that the reviewed National Migration Policy deliberately integrates humanitarian considerations, addresses internal migration dynamics and strengthens Nigeria’s national capacity to respond to displacement, vulnerability and mobility within our borders.

“These programmes, while they may be seen as welfare interventions, they are equally migration governance tools; because by supporting livelihoods, empowering women and youth, and strengthening household resilience, we reduce forced mobility and promote safer, more informed migration choices.

“The reviewed National Migration Policy appropriately recognises climate-induced mobility and internal migration as emerging humanitarian challenges. Aligning policy implementation with early warning systems, disaster risk reduction, and adaptive social protection will be critical in the years ahead,” Boro said.

In his speech, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Ahmed Tijani, said the revised policy represents the culmination of an inclusive, deliberate and truly Nigerian process, led by the commission.

He said from the onset, the commission was clear in its conviction that Nigeria’s National Migration Policy must be homegrown, evidence-based and reflective of in the nation’s unique national realities.