By Taiye Odewale Abuja
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has decried the high rate of human traffi cking in Nigeria, which he put at about 875,500 per annum, and called for concerted eff orts to end the scourge. Relying on the fi gures released by the Global Slavery Index, Ekweremadu also revealed that there were about 45.8million people living in one form of slavery or the other in about 167 countries around the world.
He spoke yesterday at an event organised by Devatop Centre for Africa Development to mark the 2017 World Day Against Traffi cking in Persons in Abuja. He regretted that Nigeria was a source, transit as well as destination of persons, including women and children traffi cked for prostitution, forced labour, and other forms of dehumanising servitude and exploitation. He, therefore, called for more concern and concerted eff orts by Nigerians and the international community to end the scourge.
“Although human traffi cking syndicates are themselves powerful and operate with the collaboration of corrupt persons in agencies entrusted with law enforcement and protection of persons across the world, the World Day Against Traffi cking in Persons is a reminder that the war against the scourge is one we are very capable of winning. “It is a call to renew our resolve to not only track down and bring the perpetrators to book, but also to cut their supply chains”.
According to him, among other factors, poverty was at the centre of traffi c in persons as it predisposes victims to desperation to escape into a false greener pasture, not knowing that they are jumping from the frying pan into the fi re. He also bemoaned the high number of Nigerians driven into suicidal self-traffi cking missions across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. He referred to the statistics given by the Missing Migrants project which stated that at least 2,357 deaths have already been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea between January 1 and July 12, 2017. “Of this number, Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive, accounts for the highest number of the identifi ed ill-fated migrants. “Caught between the devils of economic hardship at home and the deep, blue Mediterranean Sea, with a fantasy better life in Europe, thousands prefer to risk their lives”.
He, therefore, advocated more jobs and better economic environment as major panacea to human traffi cking. “A substantial reduction in poverty will certainly reduce the vulnerability of our citizens who would not ordinarily be lured into the hands of human traffi ckers, the modern day slave merchants if they had as little as three square meals on their table in a day or are able to meet the basic needs of life. “We must, therefore, embark on policies that promote massive job creation, equal opportunity, and generally more conducive economic environment for the citizens”, he added.
