Innocent Duru of The Nation Newspapers in Nigeria was announced as one of the eight winners of the 2021 West and Central Africa Migration Journalism Awards by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
We asked Duru for his reaction to being one of the winners and his response is published below:
The IOM award is the icing on the cake for me after winning five awards at the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) held in Kogi State last month.
The entry ‘Our battles with depression, stigmatization after return from Libya’ won the ‘Reintegration Category (print)’ of the award. The entry as the headline reads was about how Libya returnees suffered depression and stigmatisation from relations and the society when they returned home.
The story examined how the Voluntary Assisted Return (VAR) programme of the IOM saved their situations. The story then went on to raise questions about the fate of migrants who returned on their own and were not qualified for VAR assistance.
The report also reflected the response of the federal government about what they are doing to assist returnees, deportees, expelled migrants among others.
As a journalist, I have a special interest in reporting migration. It all started in 2013 when I wrote a piece titled ‘Perilous Venture’ which gave me my first NMMA nomination.
I have done innumerable reports thereafter on migration and many of them have fetched me awards. I have won UNESCO Journalism Award using my migration report. I have also, using my migration reports won awards in NMMA.
I am a member of many local and international migration organisations (online) across the world. I obtained an online certificate in Global Compact on Migration (GCM) in 2020. My paper on the exodus of Nigerian doctors was selected for the Global Migration Conference in 2020.
I have by my engagement in migration brought succour to many stranded migrants. In 2019, my intervention saw the National Commission for Refugees rehabilitating some stranded migrants. I volunteer for a Germany based organisation, Refugee4Refugee, to help deported Nigerians who are often ignored by the government to have immediate assistance and emotional support. We expose inhuman treatment meted out to the deportees inside the plane and the questionable conditions under which they are deported. I have attended many migration training.
I love talking about migration. I love writing about migration and I love being at the forefront of campaigning against Irregular Migration and making sure that deportees, expelled migrants among others are given dignified return and rehabilitation
