Mrs. Osinbajo made this statement when she visited the National
Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTP), shelter in Lagos
State at the weekend.
She urged the victims to try as much as possible to forget the ugly
experiences they had passed through in the hands of criminals that lured them
out of Nigeria with false promises of better lives.
She added: “It’s important for me to come and visit you
people. I have not come just to see your faces, but also to tell you that you
are special people. No mother will sleep when her children have not slept. In
fact, mothers eat only after their children had eaten. I also came as a mother,
so we can discuss as a family. Although, you came from different places,
we’re still one people. I want to know more about you.
“I want to know what you want to do so that you will face the
future and have better lives. If you want to learn skills or go to
school, we will assist you and support whatever you decide for yourselves. You
are all beautiful princesses. If you have better things doing, you will get
good men who you will marry you, and you will have families.”
The Vice President’s wife, who rendered song she composed for the
victims, as way of encouraging them, advised that the princesses don’t fight,
or steal or quarrel with people. She promised to support them in whatever trade
they choose to go into. She also promised to sponsor those that wished to
further their educations.
She further advised the ladies to have confidence and believe in
themselves. She told the girls that those of them who could write, should pen
down their dreams and pray on it, so that God would make the dreams to
materialize.
She noted that her grandfather, Chief Olusegun Awolowo, sold
firewood to sponsor him to school and later became a great Nigerian who
contributed to the development of the country.
She said: “My prayer is that God will help you, so that you will
never know or pass through any suffering again in your lives as you dedicate
yourselves to hard work. Respect workers of NAPTIP as they continue to care and
support you all.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and
Diaspora, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said that Federal Government of Nigeria has
evacuated all Nigerians from Libya.
She commended NAPTIP for the great work it was doing,
especially with respect to human trafficking.
She noted: “Most people don’t know NAPTP had done a
lot to rehabilitate Nigerians that were lured out of the country for
slavery and prostitution. I commend the Vice President’s wife for visiting NAPTIP
shelter. It’s very painful to see that some victims are as young as 14, while
some are already nursing babies.”
The Director of General of NAPTP, Barrister Julie Okah-Donli, said
that the Agency had received over 8000 victims this year and 5000 of them had
been profiled.
Okah-Donli told the visitor that some of the victims were
repatriated from Libya and Europe, while some were intercepted by security
agents at Nigeria borders.
Okah-Donli said that more expected to be repatriated from Libya and other countries. She said the Lagos Shelter located within Omole Phase 2 was currently accommodating 64 of the victims.
Okah-Donli said that more expected to be repatriated from Libya and other countries. She said the Lagos Shelter located within Omole Phase 2 was currently accommodating 64 of the victims.
She disclosed that NAPTIP had trained 800 victims with special
skills, and those of them with more intensive skills were sent to their
partners for further trainings.
Okah-Donli said: “We have equipped some of them after their
trainings with sewing machines, cameras for photography, hairdressing equipment,
among other items. We will reconcile them with their families soon, because
they are being counseled and rehabilitated for a better life. Some of these
victims need to be counselled, rehabilated and encouraged.”
On the issue of organs harvesting, Okah-Donli noted that
investigation was still going on, stressing such criminals would soon be
brought to book.
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