By Edoamaowo Udeme
But for International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 22 year old Victory Imasuen, would not have emerged victorious in a terrible experience of being sold and resold in Libya, watching his friends die and surviving with almost zero feeding. This may make people believe that there something in his name “Victory”.
From Benin Edo State of Nigeria, Victory Imasuen lost his father in 2006 and he automatically became the bread winner of the house being the oldest of the five boys.
With just a secondary school education, he took to hairdressing to make ends meet to support his mother and siblings. it was in the process of this, that one of his customers who praised his hairdressing skills urged him to try Europe via Libya and make fast money. There began the almost two years ordeal for Victory.
“Our first stop was Kano where we made our way to cross the Desert, It took us 6 days, lots of people died but some of us managed to get to Libya that was when it dawned on me that I was there to be sold and resold” lamented Victory
“We were sold by our Nigerian brothers to Libyans for hard labor, we were used as laborers for buildings and construction sites without pay”
“The monies meant to be paid us went to our buyers and we were fed with only a piece of bread daily and locked up immediate after the labor is over” said Victory
“I lost N1.5m in the process before International Organization for Migration (IOM) came to my rescue” Victory added
Victory Imasuen happens to be one of the faces on the CNN story on Nigerian migrants and IOM through its Assisted Voluntary Return program reached out and rescued him.
IOM who play a key role in bringing stranded Nigerians from Libya and reintegrating them, recently held a 3-day workshop for journalists on the EU/IOM Initiative for migrant protection and reintegration in Nigeria, in Benin City, Edo State.
Journalists were shown sites of individual, collective and community reintegration.
For collective reintegration, a team of 4 led by one of the returnees, Ernest Omobude, already has an established poultry with 1000 birds.
According to Ernest, “If not for IOM, I dont know what would have happened to us after our ordeal in Libya, they not brought us back but reintegrated us”. “We have received the sum of N1.413,000m to run this business, we thank IOM for this support,
we cannot afford to joke with the funds because it is all we have having lost all in our quest for greener pastures in Libya”
Florence Kim, The IOM Regional Public Information Officer for West and Central Africa during her presentation at the workshop said, “The initial plan was that IOM will reintegrate 3200 returnees in a space of 3 years but we were saddled with reintegrating almost 9,000 in just 1 year with over 50% from Edo State alone, followed by Delta, Ogun, Imo and Oyo”
“The returnees are between the ages of 15 – 35 and needs reintegration in the society without prejudice and name calling”
“Funds ranging from 700 Euros are given by IOM for individual reintegration and empowerment, where a woman returns with a child, the amount is doubled to cater for that child”
“If a community has more than 50 returnees, then collective reintegration project is cited there for a group”.
Victory Imasuen has the IOM to thanks for rescuing him as he accused Nigerian Embassy for turning their backs on them when they needed them most.
“Even when I was penned down to be returned to Nigeria, My name was replaced three times, Each time I got to the airport I will see goods that cannot belong to returnees being prepared to be sent to Nigeria so I just knew they were replacing us with travelers, it was only God that intervened, thanks to IOM” said Imasuen
IOM has so far reintegrated approximately 9000 Nigerian migrants.
