The President made this known at the Africa Forward Summit held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, where he addressed a high-level plenary session on peace and security.
Speaking on the challenges of migration, Tinubu described human movement as a longstanding feature of civilisation, insisting that migrants must not be criminalised or subjected to violence.
“Migration is a fact of history of human civilisations across generations. Migration is not a crime, and migrants should not be subjected to jungle justice in utter disregard of their basic rights,” he said.
The Nigerian leader cautioned against the growing trend of politicising migration, noting that migrants are often unfairly blamed for socio-economic challenges in destination countries.
He observed that such narratives are sometimes exploited for political and electoral gains, thereby undermining multilateral cooperation.
“Too often, the result is the weaponisation of migration—both by those who use fear of the outsider to fracture the very multilateralism we need,” Tinubu added.
The President stressed that addressing violence against migrants requires responsible leadership across all levels of government and society, warning that failure to act could erode African solidarity.
https://x.com/Ojukwu_Bianca/status/2054423247672799635?s=20
He maintained that no single country can effectively manage migration alone, calling for structured and sustained cooperation among nations.
“Nigeria’s position remains unequivocal: no single nation—whether source, transit or destination—can manage migration in isolation,” he said.
Tinubu further emphasised that migrants must be treated in accordance with the rule of law, describing fair treatment as a cornerstone of good governance.
The summit brought together African leaders and policymakers to deliberate on pressing continental issues, including peace, security, and migration.
