Lagos: The Head of the Lagos Sub-Office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Ali Ali Ibrahim, has urged journalists to adopt a human-centred approach in reporting migration issues. Ibrahim made the call while welcoming journalists to a three-day migration reporting workshop held on Monday in Lagos. He emphasized that reports by journalists should focus on the experiences and statistics of migrants as they move around the world.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ibrahim highlighted that migration means different things to different people, including money, movement, numbers, crises, and controversies. However, at its core, migration is about people. He stressed that migration involves real people with real stories whose experiences deserve to be reported with dignity, accuracy, and empathy.
Ibrahim stated that the workshop would extend beyond classroom presentations to provide participants with practical exposure to migration realities through field visits and direct engagement with migr
ants. Participants will witness the arrival of a charter flight conveying returning migrants and visit transit facilities where migrants receive support upon arrival. They will also have opportunities to interact with migrants and listen to stories of hope, resilience, challenges, loss, and, in some cases, violations of their rights.
The IOM official expressed optimism that the workshop would deepen participants’ understanding of migration issues and improve the quality of migration-related reports produced in the future. He emphasized the importance of telling these stories in a way that humanizes migrants, dignifies their experiences, and reflects the realities they face every day. Ibrahim said that the knowledge gained during the workshop should shape migration reporting in the coming weeks, months, and years, underscoring that migration remains fundamentally a story about people.
Speaking on the overview of IOM Nigeria mission, IOM Project Assistant on Awareness Raising, Fatima Adeyemi, highlighted the
IOM’s efforts to promote safe migration and support returnees. Adeyemi mentioned that the organisation is expanding operations to strengthen migration management and support vulnerable migrants across Nigeria. She noted that the IOM Lagos Sub-Office coordinates activities across the South-West and South-South regions, including Lagos, Benin, Ogun, Oyo, Enugu, Abia, Rivers, and Bayelsa and in some Northern states.