Nigeria, EU sign migrant readmission agreement
Nigeria and the European Union signed a readmission agreement in Abuja on 10 November. It sets out how authorities on both sides will identify and arrange the return of people who do not meet the conditions for entry or stay in Nigeria or an EU member state. Approval procedures are still pending.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, represented Nigeria at the signing, while Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, represented the EU. The Council of the EU authorised negotiations in September 2016.
The European Commission says the agreement sets procedures for authorities to cooperate on returns in both directions. It says implementation must respect applicable national and international law and the rights of the people concerned.
When the agreement takes effect
The European Parliament must give its consent before the Council of the EU can formally conclude the agreement. It takes effect on the first day of the second month after both parties notify each other that they have completed their procedures. The Commission gave no fixed start date.
Ahead of the signing, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said the Nigerian government was linking identity databases to help authorities verify the nationality of people being returned. In earlier talks with the EU, Nigeria raised reintegration support for returnees and wider legal migration pathways for Nigerians seeking opportunities in Europe.
The full signed text was unavailable in the public sources IDNN reviewed. Specific procedures for verifying nationality and details of any reintegration support under the agreement remain unverified.