About us

ABOUT US

Patriotic Citizen Initiatives (PCI) was established over 14 years ago to address the issues and challenges associated with Regular and Irregular Migration within the West Africa region and Nigeria in particular. Borne out of the personal experience of the founder, Comrade Osita Osemene after a terrible ordeal of being illegally trafficked across the Sahara desert.

The whole essence of Patriotic Citizen Initiatives (PCI) is to dissuade young and vulnerable boys and girls from being illegally trafficked from across the West African borders into Europe through the desert through a campaign of enlightenment and sensitization. The other is to assist in the repatriation of stranded irregular migrants and their rehabilitation back into regular society through training and empowerment.

It is the core aim of this NGO to rescue irregular migrants trapped in transit whilst being illegally trafficked from Nigeria across the borders through the desert to Europe.

What We Do

To create awareness about the dangers of irregular migration and human trafficking across the desert through mass campaign programs
To embark on rescue missions to transit camps (within the deserts) to save those illegally trafficked and trapped in the desert.
To organize rehabilitation and reintegration programs for returnees
To inculcate in our leaders the need to improve the wellbeing of the citizenry through active civil advocacy
To imbibe in our youths the enabling characters for positive thoughts and actions
To help the youths and others make moral, patriotic, efficient and useful citizens of themselves.
To assist returnees reintegrate into the society through training and empowerment

How We Do It

PCI understands the challenges faced by irregular migrants in a culturally biased society like Nigeria. Many of these irregular migrants not only have to contend with the dangers of desert migration like death, starvation, robbery and prostitution, they are also faced with the stigma of failure, rejection and disappointment by their friends and family members. This is perhaps one of the major reasons for the desperation exercised by many of the victims of irregular migration when confronted with the need to return back home.

This is why PCI continue to advocate for proper enlightenment and awareness campaigns at all levels with major focus on the grassroots to help stem the ugly trend of irregular migration. While many tend to believe that urban city youths are usually the victims of irregular migration mostly through the airports and seaports, a growing number of youths and others in the rural areas have and continue to fall victims to the same menace.

One major factor in the rise of rural youth migration though the deserts based on sampled opinion and surveys is the prevalence of poverty in the rural areas and a total lack of awareness of the dangers of travelling through the desert. Many of these youths both in the cities and rural areas now believe that survival for them now lies in Europe and other parts of the world. Many of these youths including adults are grossly unaware of the challenges faced by migrants in Europe or the realities of life for any irregular migrant in many of the European countries.

Besides the need to continuously sensitize many of these youths and their families on the dangers of irregular migration, there is also the need to educate them also on the opportunities available in their home countries. For example in Nigeria, there is a growing realization that if the Lebanese, Indians and Chinese can adequately engage themselves in income generating business ventures in the country, the citizens themselves must also wake up to the same opportunities in their own country.

The growth of fish farming, snail farming, crop farming and many other transferable skill acquisition to list just a few in Nigeria is just one example of the need to adequately sensitize the youths and populace in general of the many opportunities available in Nigeria and the need to tap into them before outsiders monopolize it to their advantage.

PCI has consistently advocated for both assistance to irregular migrants through sensitization campaigns, workshops, training and empowerment programs and also presently working on a new initiative aimed at taking the campaign to the grassroot for better awareness and understanding of the dangers of irregular migration.