Switzerland offered $6,500 each to deported Nigerians

THEY left Nigeria to Switzerland in search of greener pastures, but after years of toil for the seemingly elusive golden fleece, over 80 Nigerians will this week be deported by the Government of Switzerland.

Their impending deportation is the fallout of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian Mission and the Swiss Government under an arrangement tagged the 'Voluntary Repatriation Scheme.

Nigeria's ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Mr. Martins Uhomoibhi, spoke at the weekend while hosting the delegate of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Mohammed Ladan and reporters from Nigeria, who were in Geneva for the UN forum on minority issues.

He said: "We have a framework, an MoU, which enables the Swiss Government to voluntarily repatriate Nigerians. Under this arrangement, the Swiss Government gives each of these Nigerians who have volunteered themselves for repatriation a token of $6,500 equivalent to enable them re-settle and start up a career once they have agreed to return to Nigeria.

"Next week, over 80 Nigerians will be taking advantage of this voluntary repatriation scheme." He explained that the scheme also covers any Nigerian who has legal papers to reside in Switzerland but wishes to voluntarily return home.

"Any Nigerian who wants to return home, whether legal or illegal migrant is free to take advantage of this scheme", he explained.

The ambassador, who described Nigerians in Switzerland as "decent and respectable people," said the arrangement was made to also cover legal migrants because there could be some legal migrants from Nigeria who may be finding life too tough and may want to return home if such incentives were available for them to re-settle.

Uhomoibhi said the UN forum on minority issues, concluded at the weekend, afforded global minorities the platform to express their fears and concerns and articulate strategies that will in the long run strengthen their voices and make them loud enough to be heard by governments of member states.