The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has condemned the sale of some Nigerian citizens as slaves in the North African country of Libya.
Obasa urged the three tiers of government to provide employment opportunity for the youths in order to discourage them from seeking greener pastures abroad and endangering their lives.
He spoke at the 2017 Press Week of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, held at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalist in Abeokuta, with the theme: “Seeking Greener Pastures: Gimmicks for Human Trafficking”.
The lawmaker also lamented the incessant rate of child and women trafficking, prostitution as well as the current sale of Africans, especially Nigerians, as slaves in Libya.
He said, “Talking about women trafficking, child trafficking and slavery, just of recent we read in the newspapers what our brothers in Africa are doing to Nigerians, who are seeking greener pastures abroad through the desert and the ocean. Many have died, many have been turned to slaves and many are being victimised.
“I also will urge all governments from local government to the Federal level that it has become imperative for us to improve our economy. We must do everything possible to convince our youths that there is hope in this country. We must raise job opportunities and I am sure if anyone gains good employment, there won’t be need for him or her to travel or to seek greener pastures elsewhere.”
Obasa tasked government at all levels to put in place measures that would enhance the economic growth of the country, by providing for the welfare of its citizenry.
“The responsibility of those of us who are in the system of government is that we must put all our resources in place to ensure we provide economic growth that will fetch food, good jobs and facilities that will impress our youths,” he said.
The lawmaker further charged stakeholders to adopt a campaign system by going from one village to another in the rural areas to educate the inhabitants about the danger of human trafficking.
He, therefore, urged the villagers to beware of human traffickers, who promised to provide them non-existent jobs abroad with the real intention of forcing them into prostitution or slavery.
