Nigeria is set to strengthen its ties with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM as part of the effort to combat irregular migration, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has said.

She made the announcement when she received the IOM Deputy Director-General for Operations Ugochi Daniels in her Abuja office yesterday.

She attributed a spate of illegal migration of Nigerians to other countries on the country’s huge demography. Odumegwu-Ojukwu said: “With over 70 percent of our population under the age of 40, the demand for employment and better opportunities is intense.

“This demographic reality is a major driver of irregular migration.” Odumegwu-Ojukwu highlighted the government’s focus on citizen diplomacy following its concern about the welfare of the over 17 million Nigerians in the diaspora.

According to her, Nigeria’s very vibrant diaspora plays very important role in the nation’s economy through remittances to their families back home in Nigeria.