The Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof Fatima Waziri–Azi and senior members of the Agency, on Tuesday spearheaded a significant meeting to engage with the implementing team of the Ark Group and Canadian partners.
The meeting took place in conjunction with a scheduled capacity building and training program for Public Relations Officers, Public Enlightenment Officers, and other Agency personnel in Lagos.
The primary focus of the meeting was a comprehensive review of the ongoing counter-trafficking project, generously supported by the Canadian Government, and its execution by the Ark Group. Discussions also centered on the international and intergovernmental relations with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada (IRCC). The gathering provided a platform for assessing the scope, dimensions, and prevalence of human trafficking in Nigeria, as well as examining the concerted efforts of the Nigerian government, channeled through NAPTIP, to combat this dire issue.
Director General Prof Fatima Waziri–Azi expressed her gratitude to the donors for their invaluable support and collaboration, emphasizing the transformative impact of the project and its numerous achievements. She conveyed, “I thank you for the impactful support with numerous achievements. The ireporter initiative is designed to enhance our reporting capabilities. The vehicles generously donated to us will further optimize our operations, while the Learning Management System will facilitate comprehensive staff training. Furthermore, our ‘NAPTIP ON THE MOVE’ awareness and sensitization campaign have yielded more reports, arrests, and prosecutions of offenders.”
The Director General of NAPTIP further highlighted the Agency’s core objectives, mandates, operational strategies, and commendable achievements in the areas of Prevention, Protection, Policy development, Partnership, and the Prosecution of Offenders.
In their respective addresses, Heather De Santis, Director General of the International and Inter-Governmental Relations at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada (IRCC), and Natasha Manji, Director General of the International Policy and Partnership Directorate, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), affirmed their unwavering support for NAPTIP. They stressed that their collaboration aimed to bolster the ongoing fight against human trafficking, underscoring that countering human trafficking remains a critical priority of the Canadian Government.
The meeting’s zenith was marked by an interactive question-and-answer session, offering a valuable platform for fruitful discussions and further strengthening the collaboration between NAPTIP, the Ark Group, and their Canadian partners.
This meeting signifies a pivotal step forward in the unyielding efforts to combat human trafficking in Nigeria, and the collaborative initiatives showcased here are set to bring about substantial positive change in the fight against this grave violation of human rights.
