By Owen Akenzua, Asaba
#TrackNigeria: The Director -General of the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah-Donli has called for collaborative efforts in fight against trafficking.
She made the call on Tuesday at a town hall meeting of stakeholders on Human Trafficking/Irregular Migration organised in collaboration with the United KAFE Agency Institute for Development, (UKAID) in Asaba, Delta state.
Okah-Donli explained that collaborative efforts in the fight against inhuman activities would provide fruitful results for possible end to the current trend by traffickers.
Represented by the Director of Intelligence and Public Enlightenment, Mr Arinze Orakwe, she said the causes of human trafficking in the country had not changed.
“The cause of the human trafficking has not changed; deprivation, unemployment, poverty, economic, collapse in family values are some of the triggers.
“This is part of the reasons why NAPTIP see the fight as collective responsibility, it is not something government alone can do and I am glad that Delta government has set up a task force to tackle the menace.
“The next thing is to encourage a free and functional education for the pupils and students so that they will have no reason not to go to school,” NAPTIP boss said.
Noting that the campaign was tailored towards Edo/Delta because they have the highest number of people repatriated from Libya, she added that trafficking in all forms has become endemic, especially in other states in the country.
“This campaign is tagged, “Not for Sale” no child in Nigeria is for sale by anybody, so that is why we are here to sensitise the students.
“The students have been charged to share with the fellow students what they have learnt that it pays to work hard and make it in the country because it does not seem rosy abroad as traffickers often promise.
“Benin kingdom fought against slave trade long ago, so, choosing Edo /Delta for this campaign, we want to underscore that old belief that our children are not for sale by anybody,” Okah-Donli explained.
She lauded the UKAID for its support and commended the Delta government for supporting the fight against human trafficking.
The state governor Dr, Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by Mrs Genevieve Mordi, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on International Relations said his administration was committed to the eradication of human trafficking in the state.
The governor expressed sadness that it was a shocking revelation that Delta ranked second after Edo with the number of returnees from Libya, adding that the campaign would be taking to the 25 local government areas of the state to sensitise the people, especially those within remote communities of the dangers of human trafficking.
“The state has inaugurated a task force to check the menace and it is coming up with laws to punish offenders through legal processes. We are not only targeting the children, we will get to the parents to sensitise them on the danger of trafficking in persons and irregular migrations because most parents are the architect,” he said.
