Examining the Research Gap in Counselling Interventions for Returning Nigerian Migrants

The psychological adjustment challenges faced by Nigerians returning from international migration, including reverse culture shock, identity conflict, economic disorientation, and unprocessed migration trauma, have received insufficient attention in the Nigerian counselling research literature. This study examined the research gap in counselling interventions for returning Nigerian migrants through systematic review and primary research. A systematic literature review was conducted across eight databases, identifying only 14 publications from 2015 to 2024 addressing psychological support for returning Nigerian migrants, compared with a substantially larger international literature on migrant reintegration support. Qualitative gap analysis of these publications identified five under-addressed counselling dimensions: trauma from migration journey experiences, loss of diasporic identity and social status, discrimination experienced in both host and home countries, family reintegration challenges after extended absence, and economic distress from re-entry into the Nigerian labour market. Primary research comprising in-depth interviews with 20 returned migrants in Lagos and Anambra States confirmed all five dimensions and added spousal and marital relationship disruption as a sixth critical counselling need. No publication described a systematic counselling programme designed for returning Nigerian migrants. The study proposes a Migrant Return Adjustment Counselling model addressing all six dimensions and recommends NAPTIP, the International Organisation for Migration Nigeria, and Nigerian consulates integrate this model into their reintegration support services.

Keywords: returning migrants, migrant reintegration, counselling intervention, research gap, Nigerian diaspora