Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
In a bid to end irregular migration and human trafficking in the country, the Federal Government over the weekend, vowed to intensify collaboration with state governments and the international community.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated this when he received in audience Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki.
Obaseki had met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend, discussing the crisis of human trafficking facing the state and the efforts of the Edo State Government in combating the trend.
Onyeama, in a statement by his media aide, Sarah Sanda, “stressed the need for all state governments to harmonize their efforts to check the trend of irregular migration and human trafficking with Federal Government agencies tasked with such responsibilities.”
Onyeama further urged state governments and international partners engaged in the rehabilitation programs for Libya returnees to key into the various rehabilitation programs by the various federal government agencies tasked with such mandate.
For his part, Obaseki briefed the Minister on Edo State Government’s efforts at rehabilitating returnees from Libya, including medical examinations, debriefings, training in skills acquisition, payment of monthly stipends, among others measures.
Obaseki added that an anti-trafficking task force had also been set up, while a legal framework to expedite the prosecution of human traffickers is underway.
Obaseki informed Onyeama that the state government will continue to roll out training programmes and schemes for the returnees to assist them resettle fully into society.
“He added that the state is working closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and some European countries to halt the mass exodus of Edo people to non-existent ‘greener pastures’ outside the shores of the country,” the statement read.