The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has called on the government at all levels to fight poverty, invest in education and health as a panacea to combat human trafficking.
In a post via his X handle on Tuesday, Obi called for measures to combat the menace as the entire globe commemorates World Day against Trafficking in Persons.
While regretting that statistics showed Nigeria is hit hard by cases of human trafficking, Obi said human trafficking is slavery.
“Trafficking in persons remains a global societal issue that must be addressed, with measures devised to combat the menace.
“The 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report by the U.S. Department of State, classified Nigeria as a Tier 2 country, ranking us among countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to comply with those standards.
“The 2023 Global Slavery Index Report ranks Nigeria 38 out of 160 of the countries with the highest number of slaves which is about 1.6 million. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, 2019-2022 statistics also show that 61 percent of human trafficking in Nigeria happens internally, while 39 percent is generated from cross-border trafficking,” he said.
The former governor of Anambra State tasked governments to address challenges of poverty, unemployment and porous borders which he blamed for Nigeria’s human trafficking cases.
He called for investment in education, health, and policies that will address poverty in the country, explaining that with a better and quality life, citizens will understand their rights as humans.