Welcome to the Centre for Migration Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (CMS-NAU), the first in Nigeria. Commissioned on 28th August, 2018 by the Honourable Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the Centre was created by the Senate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University to provide the aspect of research, conceptual and theoretical rigour in policy formulation, review and implementation. This was sorely required to complement the work of the governmental and non-governmental actors on migration management and governance.
CMS-NAU is guided by clearly articulated fundamental philosophic principles and presuppositions: The fundamental right of every human being to free movement and shelter deriving from the absolute value of the human person; the duty of every human person and society to carter for the migrant and the victims of oppressive social, economic and political policies, structures and practices; the rights of communities to protect their cultural values consistent with universal humane values.
Propelled by the vision to grow into a Centre of Excellence in Migration Studies by collaborative research and networking CMS-NAU envisions a paradigm shift from the migration-as-problem perception to migration-as-prospect orientation: migration as a natural current that creates opportunities for individuals, nations and peoples.
The Centre has assumed the mission to serve as a leading Centre for the study of local and international migration dynamics with the aim of advancing understanding of how migration shapes our world and is shaped by broader development processes.
Among other objectives, CMS-NAU is focused to create awareness, promote research, build capacity, draw attention to forced migration, IDPs, refugees, irregular migration, etc., promote collaboration, produce evidence-based reports, engender well informed policies and practices, and generally provide an open forum for migration discourse.
The activities of the Centre include research, residency, teaching, engagements, outreach, advocacy, publications.
At CMS-NAU, we think and talk migration; we learn and sensitize; we promote regular migration; we discourage irregular migration; we harness the potentials of migration; we seek to mitigate the problems; we collaborate with all the players to connect migration and development and make the world a better place for all.
Welcome to CMS-NAU, the one-stop Centre in Nigeria for comprehensive engagement with migration in its multiple trends and currents, forms and levels, dimensions and ramifications.
Prof. Tracie Utoh-Ezeajugh Director, Centre for Migration Studies