National News
EU, IOM Facilitates 500 Stranded Nigerian Returns From Libya

EU, IOM Facilitates 500 Stranded Nigerian Returns From Libya
By: Michael Mike
The European Union (EU) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have in 2022 assisted more than 500 stranded Nigerian migrants in Libya to return back to the country.
Presently, 162 Nigerian migrants have returned safely from Libya on the fourth charter flight for this year organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The evacuations were done with support from the European Union (EU) through its Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration.
A statement by IOM on Wednesday said the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted migrant workers like Yousef Al Hadji who migrated from Nigeria to Libya in 2016. When his work hours as a gas attendant decreased dramatically, Yousef began working as a cleaner at a garbage facility to continue sending money home to his family in Nigeria. Many other migrants were stranded in Libya due to COVID-19 and the challenging security situation in the country. Once voluntary humanitarian return flights from Libya resumed in October 2021 after months of suspension due to border closures and restrictions, Yousef immediately elected to return to his country of origin.
Al Hadji was quoted to have said when he visited an IOM facility for a medical assessment prior to his travel: “It has been six years since I first came to Libya, and I haven’t seen my big family.” While it was difficult to be away for so long, he now looked forward to reuniting with his family in Nigeria.
Wednesday’s humanitarian flight departed from the capital of Libya, Tripoli, at noon and landed safely at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos at 6pm. Out of the 162 migrants, 110 are men and 52 were women including 14 individuals under the age of 18 and 11 infants.
According to IOM Nigeria Head of Sub-office in Lagos, Stephen Rogers: “These migrants have been waiting patiently for months to get a flight back home and allow them to reunite with their families and friends.”
He said: “IOM’s role is not over yet. We need to ensure their needs are accommodated under the best conditions and initiate their reintegration support back in the communities of origin.”
The statement said prior to departure, the returnees underwent health checks and got tested for COVID-19 and received hygiene kits containing face masks and other protective gear. IOM also provided them with pre-departure counselling services, protection screening and transportation assistance. IOM also offers targeted assistance to migrants with specific situations of vulnerability such as pregnant women, unaccompanied migrant children, victims of trafficking and migrants with medical conditions.
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Upon arrival, the returnees are given food, refreshments and a mobile device to assist them with contacting their families and to remain in touch with IOM as they receive reintegration support. Vulnerable cases are provided with non-food items such as clothes, shoes and other essential items. Returnees undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period for unvaccinated beneficiaries and undergo on the second day another PCR test for COVID-19. Returnees subsequently receive financial support for transportation to their communities of origin. IOM will provide mental health and psychosocial support and business skills training to help them to kickstart income-generating activities as part of their reintegration assistance.
Ambassador of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi said:
“The EU-IOM Joint Initiative has been instrumental in safely returning and reintegrating Nigerian nationals since April 2017 and we are happy to know that operations have resumed. We are welcoming the flight from Tripoli and we aim at successful reintegration for all returnees.”
Libya has long been an important transit and destination country for migrants arriving from different parts of Africa. IOM’s latest DTM report indicates that Nigerian migrants make up 6 per cent of migrants in Libya, the country’s fifth largest migrant population. According to IOM data, Libya followed by Niger and Mali are the primary transit countries for Nigerian migrants.
IOM works closely with the Federal Government of Nigeria and specifically with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs (NCFRMI), National Immigration Service (NIS), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to facilitate the humane, orderly and dignified movement of returning migrants.
This is the 94th chartered flight from various locations since April 2017 when the Joint Initiative commenced. Between April 2017 and February 2022, 19,452 stranded Nigerians have been assisted to return voluntarily from 22 countries in Europe, the Middle East and other parts of the world with support from the European Union.
EU, IOM Facilitates 500 Stranded Nigerian Returns From Libya
National News
VP Shettima Departs Abuja To Represent Nigeria At Inauguration Of Gabon’s President-elect

VP Shettima Departs Abuja To Represent Nigeria At Inauguration Of Gabon’s President-elect
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for Libreville, Gabon, to represent Nigeria at the inauguration of the country’s President-elect, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
The Vice President left on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the instance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Oligui Nguema, who had served as Gabon’s interim leader since August 2023, secured a decisive victory in the country’s April 12 presidential election.
Nigeria remains supportive of the peaceful democratic transition in Gabon and reaffirms the government’s broader strategic interest in promoting democratic governance and regional stability in Central Africa.
The Vice President is expected to return to Nigeria after the inauguration.
VP Shettima Departs Abuja To Represent Nigeria At Inauguration Of Gabon’s President-elect
National News
President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State
By: Michael Mike
As part of the preparation for its upcoming External Court Sessions and sensitization campaign scheduled to take place respectively from 5 to 7 May and from 8 to 16 May 2025 in Lagos, the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, led an advance delegation of the Court to Lagos from 28 April to 4 May 2025.
On 30 April 2025, the President paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State at the Lagos High Court’s premises, during which both judicial leaders engaged in a rich and forward-looking discussion on legal collaboration, institutional challenges, and the role of regional justice mechanisms in West Africa.
Welcoming the delegation, Honorable Justice Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba, the Chief Judge of Lagos State expressed deep appreciation for the visit, describing it as an honour to host such a distinguished judicial institution. He commended the ECOWAS Court for its high standards of jurisprudence and its commitment to justice in the sub-region. Acknowledging the Court’s achievements, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and exchange between national and regional judicial bodies.
The Chief Judge provided an overview of the Lagos State Judiciary’s structure and recent developments, including its expansion across five judicial divisions (Lagos Island, Ikeja, Epe, Badagry, and Ikorodu) and newer courts in high-density areas like Iba and Yaba. He also outlined plans to establish more courts along underserved areas such as the Apapa–Badagry corridor, with support from local authorities and the judiciary’s leadership.
While highlighting that the judiciary in Lagos enjoys a fair degree of government support, the Chief Judge noted infrastructural constraints, particularly the adaptation of their current facility following the destruction of the previous High Court during the #EndSARS protests.
On the issue of enforcement of regional court decisions, the Chief Judge echoed a familiar challenge: the difficulty of enforcing judgments in sovereign states with diverse political climates. He noted, however, that international charters must be respected once ratified, and that the existence of judicial bodies like the ECOWAS Court play a vital role in ensuring legal accountability and curbing impunity, even when direct enforcement mechanisms are limited.
In his response, President Ricardo who was accompanied by his Vice president, Honorable justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma and Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, the Chief Registrar of the Court expressed gratitude to the Chief Judge and his colleagues for the warm welcome and institutional support. He emphasized that the visit and upcoming court activities in Lagos would not have been possible without their cooperation. He took the opportunity to extend a formal invitation to the Chief Judge to attend the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Court’s next judicial year, expected to take place in October or November 2025.
President Ricardo acknowledged the withdrawal of three member states from ECOWAS, which has reduced the number of participating states in the Court from 15 to 12. He described the development as regrettable but affirmed the Court’s continued commitment to its mandate.
He also outlined the ECOWAS Court’s core jurisdictions, which include: human rights protection (representing over 80% of its caseload), interpretation and application of ECOWAS legal instruments, disputes involving community civil servants, and advisory legal opinions to ECOWAS institutions.
Finally, the President highlighted the upcoming sensitization campaign, to be held from 5 to 7 May 2025 in Lagos, aimed at increasing public awareness about the Court’s role and improving access to regional justice.
President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State
National News
President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima
** As FG seeks stronger ties with Berlin’s Hertie School on human capital development
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully committed to unlocking Nigeria’s full potential and positioning the country as a leading force on the African continent, driven by strategic investments in human capital and bold economic reforms.
According to him, Nigeria is actively seeking expertise from the global best institutions to enhance policy formulation and implementation, particularly in human capital development.

Speaking during a visit by a delegation from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, led by Senior Fellow Dr. Rolf Alter, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, the Vice President noted that President Tinubu is determined to elevate Nigeria to its rightful position as a leading force in Africa.
“The current crop of leadership in Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is ready and willing to unleash the full potential of the Nigerian nation on the African continent. We are laying the groundwork through strategic reforms, and at the heart of it is human capital development,” VP Shettima stated.

He described the Hertie School as a valuable partner in the journey, noting that “Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, has the track record and institutional knowledge to add value to our policy formulation and delivery, especially in this disruptive age.”
Reiterating the government’s priority on upskilling Nigerians, VP Shettima said, “Skills are very important, and with our Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0 programme, we are in a position to unleash the full potential of the Nigerian people by enhancing their capital skills.”
The Vice President acknowledged the vital support of international development partners in this effort: “I want to thank the World Bank, the European Union, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and all our partners in that drive to add value to the Nigerian nation,” he maintained.
Specifically, the Vice President said human capital development is both an economic imperative and a social necessity, just as he said, “We can only turn our demographic bulge into a demographic dividend when we invest in the human capital of the people.”
Assuring the visiting delegation of the government’s readiness to deepen cooperation, he said, “We need the skills and the capacity from your school. The world is now knowledge-driven. I wish to implore you to have a very warm and robust partnership with the government and people of Nigeria.”

VP Shettima further explained recent economic decisions of the government, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, saying, “The removal of fuel subsidy, the unification of the exchange rate regime and the revolution in the energy sector are all painful processes, but at the end of the day, the Nigerian people will laugh last.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a very modern leader who is willing to take far-reaching, courageous decisions to reposition the Nigerian economy,” he added.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr Alter, congratulated the Tinubu administration for the successful launch and implementation of the Human Capital Development (HCD) strategy, which he described as ambitious and targeted towards the improvement of the lives of the citizens.
He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his engagements since arriving in the country, applauding the zeal, commitment, energy and goodwill observed among stakeholders in the implementation of Nigeria’s HCD programme.
Dr Alter said the Hertie School of Governance will work closely with authorities in Nigeria across different levels to deliver programmes that are specifically designed to address the unique needs of the country.
He, however, stressed the need for government officials at different levels to be agile and amenable to the dynamics of the evolving world, particularly as Nigeria attempts to successfully accelerate its human capital development aspirations.
Also present at the meeting were the Ambassador of Germany to Nigeria, Annett Gunther; Director General of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Dr Abdulateef Shittu; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Dunoma Ahmed; representatives of the Director General of the Budget Office, the Gates Foundation, the World Bank and other officials from the Hertie School of Governance, among others.
President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima
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