Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerian youths to fight the scourge of human trafficking, calling on all stakeholders, including the international community, to increase collaboration in the fight against trafficking in persons and associated vices.
Osinbajo, speaking yesterday as a special guest at an event organised to commemorate this year’s World Day against Human Trafficking, noted that human trafficking was devastating to the human race and economy.
Osinbajo, represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President/ Office of the Vice President, Mr Adeola Ipaye, said, “It is only by working together that we can collectively develop solutions capable of addressing the root causes and risk factors that perpetuate human trafficking across the world.”
According to the vice president, nurturing the generation of young people who understand and are conversant with technology and can easily speak to the issue through the tools of technology would enhance Nigeria’s efforts at eradicating the menace.
“We, therefore, rely on you students and other youngsters to make the change even where we have hitherto fallen short,” said Osinbajo.
In a welcome, Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi, said the choice of this year’s theme, ‘Use and Abuse of Technology’, was apt, underscoring the dynamism of the crime of human trafficking and the growing use of online interactions as an efficient enabler.
Waziri-Azi further noted that while technology was frequently misused to facilitate trafficking in persons, its positive use helps in combating trafficking and supporting anti-trafficking work, such as aiding investigations that enhance prosecutions and scaling awareness campaigns.
Meanwhile, the Network against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) commended the NAPTIP boss and other partners for the elevation of Nigeria to Tier 2 in the 2021 TIP report.
NACTAL president Mr Abdulganiyu Abubakar stated, “Our members across the 36 states and the FCT in the last few days have embarked on various activities on the street of Nigeria to commemorate the World Day against Trafficking in Persons in partnership with NAPTIP with the support of various development partners.”
