1000 Nigerians Face Deportation From Austria

About 1000 Nigerians irregular migrants are to be deported back home from Austria.

The government of Austria said it is in the process of organizing training programmes for the irregular migrants, after which they would be deported back home.

The country’s Director General, International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Michael Spindelegger, who gave the hint today at the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated that it was to prepare them for gainful employment in Austrian companies to be set up later in the country.

Spindelegger explained that the proposed programme will facilitate reversed migration of the irregular migrants, who have no likelihood of being given legal residents in Austria.


He said: “It is a new idea of how to combine future investment in Nigeria with the return of irregular migrants.

“A lot of companies are interested in investing in Nigeria because of its market. The idea is to train these irregular migrants before repatriating them so that when they come back, they will have something to do instead of becoming liabilities.

“The idea is also to encourage more Austrian companies to come and invest in Nigeria so that they also could contribute to solving the problem of unemployment and irregular migration.”

Spindelegger added that there is provision for asylum in Europe but in a situation where an emigrant fails to secure asylum, the person would be deported at the long run.

“For them, there is no chance of remaining in the country because once they are picked, they would not be allowed to take anything but would be brought back to their country empty.

“There are about 1000 Nigerians not granted refugees status living in Austria. The programme is starting with Nigeria as a pilot, then, we will see what the experience is before extending it to other countries.”