Reps raise alarm over 80,000 stranded Nigerians abroad

This is contained in a press statement released by Olamilekan Olusada, the Special Assistant on Media & Publicity.

During plenary in Abuja, Akande condemned the complacency of Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Employment, which has subjected young Nigerian girls to modern-day slavery, sexual exploitation and organ harvesting among other ills.

She also noted that the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the guise of diplomacy is working towards the release a Lebanese trafficker, Wafic Mohammed Hamze, apprehended by National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons who is complicit in the trafficking of sixteen girls to Lebanon.

Also, Hon. Sadipe decried the unprecedented rise in the abuse and dehumanization of Nigerians abroad, especially in nations with a long history of cordial relationship with Nigeria.

“According to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in the past one year, there has been an alarming number of daily distress calls from Nigerian women crying to be rescued from Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Oman and Lebanon and Mali (with Lebanon, Oman and Mali being top on the list)”, she said.

In the motion, she raised as a matter of Urgent Public importance, Hon. Tolu Akande-Sadipe opined that there is a pressing need for Parliamentary intervention in the eradication of trafficking in Persons.

Furthermore, she said that there are some Nigerian students in Turkey, who want to return home but cannot afford the cost of the evacuation flight.

She, therefore, urged the House to compel the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate affordable evacuation flights for Nigerians in the diaspora

She implored President Muhammed Buhari to ensure that necessary disciplinary measure is meted on the Hon. Minister and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment for violating its suspension on the issuance of International Recruiters Licenses and issuance of licenses to non-compliant Companies.