By Moses Omorogieva
Lagos – The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and one of Nigeria’s airlines, Air Peace Ltd, on Tuesday in Lagos signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on partnership against human trafficking.
Dame Julie Okah-Donli, Director-General of NAPTIP signed on behalf of the agency while Chief Allen Onyema, Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer, Air Peace signed for his airline at their corporate headquarters in GRA Ikeja Lagos.
Okah-Donli said the relationship between the two organisations started months ago, adding that the signing was to officially use their platforms to combat human trafficking and irregular migration in Nigeria.
“The collaboration is aimed at ensuring the eradication of illegal migration and human trafficking, and to disseminate anti-human trafficking messages across Nigeria as an effective counter measure to human trafficking and irregular migration.
“However, the specific objectives are: To support the agency in the areas of raising awareness to reduce the incidence of human trafficking and irregular migration.
“To partner with the agency to effectively carry anti-human trafficking messages across routes flown by Air Peace.
“Today is not a day for long speeches, but to our signatures where our hearts and mouths have been for the past two months, and kick the ground of partnership running’’, she said.
Earlier, Onyema said his organisation was partnering with NAPTIP with a view to reduce the number of Nigerians and Africans being trafficked.
He commended the agency director-general for her doggedness in the fight against human trafficking, noting that her tenure had brought the agency a higher level of recognition.
The chief executive officer said his organisation was committed to every statement in the MoU, assuring that Air Peace would do more in the actualisation of the agreement.
He called on other corporate organisations to join hands with NAPTIP in the fight against human trafficking .
Onyeka promised to employ some trafficked survivors irrespective of their educational qualification stressing that the gesture would encourage NAPTIP and also discourage those that wanted to be trafficked.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on March 28, 2019, some crew members of Air Peace Airline were honoured by NAPTIP boss, with an Award of Excellence “for saving a three-month old baby from human traffickers in Banjul, Gambia’’.
