The Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has declared that slave trade and illegal migration common among Nigerians youths in countries like Libya, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Morocco, India, Russia, Indonesia and Europe.
She said the development deserved urgent attention, which must be curbed without delay.
Dabiri-Erewa made this declaration while delivering a paper entitled “Building capacities of Nigerian Youths against slave trade or illegal migration”, as part of activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of University of Ibadan, organised by Faculty of Education, at an event held at Trenchard Hall, UI on Monday.
The Presidential aide said that the dangers and risks involved in illegal migration to these countries were more than the problems many illegal migrants are running for while in Nigeria, as she advised Nigerians to steer clear of illegal traveling agents.
Dabiri-Erewa explained that “slave trade and illegal migration are national tragedies, which deserve urgent attention by all relevant stakeholders including the traditional rulers, government agencies, parents and guardians”.
She remarked that countries like Libya, Malaysia, Omar, Saudi Arabia, Morocco China, India, Russia, among others have zero tolerance for illegal migration, hence, anyone going there should do so through immigration and with necessary documents required by the laws of those countries.
Dabiri-Erewa said, “What we saw in Libya is pathetic and worrisome. Some Nigerians are still stranded in Libya because government can only reach where there is no war. We brought 12 Nigerians that Gaddafi wanted to execute. We have been warning Nigerians not to go to Libya. We kept saying stop doing this thing. They want to go to Europe and they ended up in Libya. President Muhammadu Buhari constituted a committee sent them to Libya that is the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. If you go to see them, there is no human being that will not cry.
“We brought about 10, 000, though we were told they were 6,000. And they were begging that we should just bring them back home. They said just let us get out big here. One girl said she was 14 years old and about 40 people have slept with her. They used men as slaves they used them on the farms. There are still underground cells we can’t reach then. So, up till now we still have many Nigerians in Libya cells.
“Undoubtedly, there is nothing wrong in people moving from one point to another. It is their legitimate rights to do so, but these rights come with some proviso and conditionality that if not adhere to will turn awry. In Nigeria, the pressure to seek greener pastures intensified affecting the poorest mostly in the society. The migration of hope by these young Nigerians most often turned into a journey of unknown future of despair.
“It is not purely Nigerian problem but that of the continent as thousands of Africans especially Nigerians stake their lives as they venture on a boat journey in search of what they think will be a better and easier living standard. A journey that begins with hope but end with despair. It is painful that Nigeria ranks highest in the statistics of irregular Migration.
“Communities had lost able bodied youths, valuable assets and properties to Irregular Migration. The regular fixture and menace of irregular migration by youths, Nigerians especially, has called for actions by actors from different sectors including the United Nations with imminent mayhem set to lose at the slack of quick attention.”
