Nigeria Content Online

Following the death
of a Nigerian at Zurich Airport in March, Nigeria and Switzerland will
sign a memorandum of understanding that will ensure the smoother
movement of people between the two countries and stem the tide of
illegal migration.

Martins Uhoimoihbi,
permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke to
journalists on Monday in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with the
director of Switzerland’s Federal Office of Migration, Alard du
Bois-Reymond.

Mr Uhoimoihbi said
discussions on the memorandum commenced on April 2009 but will be
concluded soon. He said the mission was to ensure that Nigerians move
in a legal manner into the country.

“We held
discussions principally based on migration partnership. We have worked
on the memorandum and are close to reaching a consensus on that,” he
said.

Mr du Bois-Reymond
also expressed confidence in the discussions. “We have found some
interesting fields to enlarge our collaboration. After the memorandum
is signed, it will place Nigerians and the Swiss in a win-win
situation.”

Nigerian’s death

In March, a
29-year-old Nigerian man who had been on a hunger strike to protest his
deportation, died at Zurich Airport shortly before he was due to be
sent home on a special flight to Lagos. The man was injured after he
had been tied to a chair and carried into the plane by three officers.
Immediate attempts to resuscitate him failed and he died on the tarmac.

Mr du Bois-Reymond
said the results of the man’s autopsy showed he died of heart disease
caused by the prolonged hunger strike. He assured that criminal charges
would be made based on the report.

“I do hope that
this death might be a step to go so that we might learn lessons,” he
said. “We now put medical doctors on our flights as a step to avoid
similar incidences in the future.” There are 1,800 Nigerian permanent
residents and 1,700 asylum seekers in Switzerland.

Last year, 500 Nigerians were convicted for drug related crimes in the country.