By Prosper Okoye
The Lagos State Government has donated support items to the Patriotic Citizen Initiatives (PCI) shelter for male migrant returnees in recognition of the organisation’s work in providing care and rehabilitation for vulnerable migrants and trafficking survivors.
PCI Executive Director, Comrade Osita Osemene, commended the state government for selecting the shelter as a beneficiary of its 2026 Public Service Week celebration, describing the gesture as timely amid rising living costs and preparations for the yuletide season.
Osemene said the donation would ease the shelter’s responsibility for providing for its residents, particularly as the cost of essential commodities, including food, was expected to rise during the festive period.
He also praised the government for extending the support without discrimination, despite his organisation not being indigenous to Lagos State, saying the gesture demonstrated recognition of the shelter’s contribution to society beyond geographical considerations.
The items were presented on Thursday at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, following an invitation dated November 10 from the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.
In the invitation, the ministry said PCI had been selected in recognition of its contributions to the care and well-being of vulnerable people, adding that the initiative reflected the state’s commitment to supporting organisations complementing its social welfare programmes.
Established in 2021, PCI’s male shelter in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos provides temporary accommodation and rehabilitation for returned male migrants, including survivors of human trafficking and people stranded abroad.
The facility was established to address a gap in migrant protection, particularly the limited availability of dedicated accommodation for male returnees. It has a reported capacity of about 40 residents.
Its interventions include psychosocial support, healthcare referrals, vocational training, livelihood empowerment and assistance with sustainable reintegration.
PCI reported providing shelter and rehabilitation support to 45 male migrant returnees in 2023, including Nigerians and foreign nationals returning from countries such as Libya, Gabon, Morocco, Mali, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
The organisation also reports having assisted more than 450 returned migrants and over 100 trafficking survivors through its wider interventions.
Osemene pledged continued collaboration with the Lagos State Government to strengthen support for vulnerable migrants and trafficking survivors.
