In this blog series on non-governmental (NGO) and community service organizations (CSO), we highlight the activities of different NGOs and CSOs working on reintegration.
Who is the Greater Returnee Foundation?
Greater Returnee Foundation is a registered organization in Nigeria that comprises of young men and women who are Edo State indigenes that were either voluntarily or forcefully returned to Nigeria from their country of migration or transit and who have resolved to add value to society in many ways. This includes (1) advocating for the wellbeing of return migrants (2) providing orientation and support for return migrants (3) advocating for, and supporting the development of return migrants and (4) meeting with parents, family members, and community members to create awareness on human trafficking and irregular migration.
How many members does Greater Returnee Foundation have?
“The Greater Returnee Foundation has a lot of members. The numbers increase every day as a lot of people are returning, we have thousands of members. Even this year, thousands of persons have returned from Libya and other countries, through IOM and also different countries. People came on their own from different countries… Some start calling us when they are even outside Nigeria, maybe from Libya and other countries. They hear about us, even on social media and all. So, the number increases every day.”
Why did they choose to focus on reintegration support for return migrants?
Nigeria is recognized as a country with high migration flows. Between 2016 and 2017, Nigerians constituted some of the highest number of sea arrivals in Europe and also constitute a high number of return migrants from Germany and Libya. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 14,000 Nigerians have returned to Nigeria from African and European countries through IOM’s voluntary return programs.
However, when the return migrants arrive in Nigeria, they are faced with the reality of having to reintegrate into society while carrying the injuries, pain and trauma that the majority return with.
“When we saw the way things were for returned migrants, we had to start up a returnee association. We started a returnee association, trying to organise ourselves. So, it’s all about reintegration, support, trying to organise returned migrants in all rounds. Also, we source for returned migrants, to also seek assistance for returned migrants, to see how we can help them fully reintegrate back into society. So, that’s what we do.”
Return migrants face different challenges upon return including physical, mental and emotional health problems, the challenge of repaying loans that were taken to undergo the migration journey, stigma and mockery from friends of family, and much more.
“A lot of persons, even till now, some are in the city, they don’t want to go back to their village. Some could not even come back to their states, some are in Lagos and other places. Some even come back and find their way back to other African countries, because they cannot face their families… If you were a bread winner in your home before you travelled, when you come back, you still remain the breadwinner; because they still believe in you, that you still have to source for funds for them to survive.”
What does Greater Returnee Foundation do, and how are they funded?
Greater Returnee Foundation welcomes fellow return migrants from Edo State and finds ways to assist them in reintegrating into society. They are completely self-funded, and members contribute their personal finances to keep the organization running, and to support other return migrants. They also reach out to organizations with relevant funding who are working on reintegration in Edo State, and connect them to return migrants.
“We don’t get funds from anywhere. We use our own personal funds, from our various skills. So, that’s what we use.”
How is Greater Returnee Foundation making a difference?
They are making a difference as an organization that is comprised only of return migrants providing support for return migrants. They not only understand the challenges faced by their peers, they advocate and aim to meet the actual needs, not the presumed needs of return migrants.
Owing to their very large network of return migrants, they are able to reach out to more communities and neighbourhoods, including those in remote areas where some of their members originate from, and/or reside in. However, the highly commendable work that they do comes with its own challenges, including threats to members’ lives by criminal networks.
“I also do war against traffickers [anti-trafficking program] and work in partnership with **** {relevant anti-trafficking authorities} who have also helped me to prosecute a lot of traffickers, and some of that work has gotten me into trouble. I worked on some cases and my life ended up being at risk, I don’t even show people where I live.”
What are the organization’s hopes for the future for return migrants?
“We hope to be large, because we want to have different programmes in communities that will show the dangers involved in irregular migration and human trafficking. We want to have programmes in different communities, so we want our returned migrants to be involved… For years, we’ve been writing for having a multi-purpose center where maybe some returned migrants can also train, so that we train returned migrants and also reintegrate them by ourselves.”
This is a clear example of Reintegration Governance from Below- one in which a collective group of return migrants join forces to advocate for themselves, their wellbeing, their reintegration, and are agents of change for themselves. This takes us back to one of the guiding questions of our study, “how do different forms of reintegration governance interact with return migrants’ trajectories and shape their reintegration outcomes?”. Reintegration supports from below form a pivotal component of reintegration governance in Nigeria. We are furthering our analysis to understand how returnees experience support from the Greater Returnee Foundation.
