A Nigerian couple, Alfred Jr. and his beautiful wife seem like just another ordinary couple. However, they were among the returning migrants recently arrived from Libya last week, under the EUTF-IOM joint initiative for migrant protection and reintegration in Nigeria. Alfred, who is from Enugu in the South East Nigeria while his wife, is a native of Abuja in the Northern part of the country, both met while he was drilling a borehole in her town.

Alfred, apparently shortly after drilled his way into her heart and fondly calls her ‘’Obim’’. The couple who had their 2 kids in Libya, left Nigeria in 2012, shortly after their marriage. However life in Libya was not as rosy as he imagined. The reality hit him when he realized he couldn’t make a decent living.

‘I didn’t know it was bad. We couldn’t make a living. Literally, we starved. I couldn’t put food on the table. I knew it was really bad when I heard about some Libyans selling people off like goats”

He started yearning for home. Then, he heard about IOM and their assistance to Nigerians through the Nigerian foreign ministry, who want to return home. He jumped at the opportunity. Now that he is back to Nigeria, he plans to get back to his old business and make something out of it. He advises other Nigerians

“Stay home and do what is best. Make a living here. If you don’t have what it takes to travel properly, it’s not worth it.”

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