The Minister for Justice Mr O'Donoghue said today that an agreement to facilitate the deportation of illegal Nigerian immigrants from Ireland will be signed in the near future.
Mr O'Donoghue said the deal has been agreed after months of negotiations and would provide a "structured repatriation procedure" for the return of Nigerians.
He said consideration was also being given to enhancing Irish aid to Nigeria.
This involves funding for basic needs and poverty reduction and programmes on points such as "skills acquisition and training for persons being repatriated to assist with their reintegration".
There will also be more co-operation between the two countries on developing legal immigration to allow people to take up jobs in Ireland.
Nigerians are the largest single group of asylum seekers now entering Ireland. Of almost 11,000 asylum applications last year, over 3,400 were from Nigeria.
Ireland has no direct travel link with Nigeria and most of the asylum seekers have been arriving via France or Britain.
Under EU law, refugees have to seek asylum in the first Community country they arrive in. Most Nigerians are expected to be refused permission to stay and will be deported under the new agreement.
After a sharp rise in the number of asylum seekers turning up, Ireland has introduced stringent measures to curb illegal immigration in the last two years.
The new protocols with Nigeria will be the fourth agreement to facilitate deportations.
Last May, the first agreement was signed with Romania and protocols have also been approved with Poland and Bulgaria.
AFP