By YANGE IKYAA
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has said that, going forward, it will pursue with renewed vigour its new goal to ensure that more communities in Nigeria are sensitized in their local languages about the dangers associated with human trafficking and other forms of irregular migration.
Senator Basheer Garba Muhammed, the agency’s director general, stated this when he played host to a delegation from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), led by Franz Celestin, who is the IOM chief of mission in Nigeria. Celestin was accompanied to NAPTIP by officials from his office, including the head, programme support unit, Prestage Murima; and Ukamaka Osigwe, programme officer, migration management.
The NAPTIP boss also seized the occasion to unveil strategic goals and visions that the agency will continue to pursue during his time in office. These include expanding the scope of NAPTIP in the areas of improved and re-modelled victim rehabilitation schemes, as well as increased awareness and sensitization of citizens in all parts of the country, taking into account the listening culture of different sections of the nation.
“I want NAPTIP anti human trafficking messages to be in the minds and at the doorsteps of all Nigerians, irrespective of their languages and locations. We shall use radio, television, newspapers, social media platforms, Nollywood actors and even local town criers,” he said.
Senator Muhammed further noted that Nigerians need to know more about NAPTIP, the various offences against which it fights and the punishments attracted by committing such offences, as well as the various legislations put in place to protect “our citizens” from all forms of exploitation.
According to him, “our anti human trafficking messages must be syndicated in all languages so that everybody can understand them, and this will go a long way in reducing the vulnerability of the people.
“I strongly believe that it is better and more economical to take step up now and sensitize the people than doing damage control after they must have been deceived and trafficked by human traffickers.”
NAPTIP as one of the agencies with the biggest mandates that directly or indirectly touch various families and communities across the country, and this, the DG said, has brought about the urgent need to unbundle and expand the scope of its activities to be able to render mega rehabilitation services that will meet the needs and expectations of human trafficking victims, or potential victims, especially through scale-up awareness and sensitization strategies.
Senator Muhammed appreciated the timely and sustained interventions of IOM in all thematic areas of NAPTIP, which he said have aided the realization of the mandates of the agency, and also solicited for more support and collaboration.
In his response, Celestin congratulated the NAPTIP boss for his appointment and commended him for the remarkable achievements recorded previously at the National Commission for Refugees, Migrant and Internally Displaced Persons.
While pledging that IOM will continue to support the NAPTIP, the IOM chief of mission further disclosed that, in order to boost the enlightenment functions of the agency, IMO was already in the process of donating another “Blue Bus” to the NAPTIP.
He recalled some of the support previously given to NAPTIP by the international anti human trafficking body to include the donation of the first “Blue Bus” to the agency few months ago, the establishment of the “Legal Hub” to accelerate the prosecution of cases and enhance legal discourse on human trafficking, the establishment of state task force teams on human trafficking in no fewer than 14 States in Nigeria, as well as capacity building for operatives of the agency, among others.
