NIGERIA-ECOWAS COMMON IMMIGRATION POLICY FROM 2007-2019: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Human migration encompasses permanent or temporary relocation of persons from their places of initial abode to another place, in search of means of livelihood, family reunion, or other things that serve as motivation for the movement. Specifically, the study aims at investigating the economic opportunities of skills, transfer through citizens' migration from one African country to another and discussing the potentials in having flexible intra-continental migration laws and to identify the measures put in place for smooth and effective implementation of the economic integration agenda of the ECOWAS Common Immigration Policy in Nigeria from 2007 to 2019.This study is anchored on functionalist social theory of migration. Migration is perceived as a positive phenomenon that contributes to prosperity productivity, and greater fairness in origin and destination societies through dual direction of flows of incomes that includefunds, goods and knowledge. Herbert Spencer and Robert Merton are proponents of this theory.The study sourced for secondary data. The data was analysed in themes. The study concludes that while migration could be perceived as a negative phenomenon on nations, productive advantages too abound in developing countries. The mobility of human capital would help pave way for exchange of ideas and skills which could lead to a robust socio-economic development in the West Africa sub-region. The study recommends that ECOWAS countries need to put in place effective mechanisms that would checkmate crimes associated with migration as a way of checking the perceived negative effect of migration.