This was one of the high points of the official visit of the Director – General of the Agency, Julie Okah – Donli who led other members of management of NAPTIP to pay a courtesy call on Governor Seriake Dickson in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.
Receiving the NAPTIP Director General, Governor Dickson expressed sadness over the activities of human traffickers saying that all hands must be on the deck to curtail their nefarious activities in order to protect the teaming youths of the nation.
He said, “The fight against human trafficking is a collective one. We must join hands with NAPTIP and the Federal Government to protect our children from the hands of traffickers.”
Aside from the immediate donation of office complex for the proposed Bayelsa Command of the agency , the governor promised adequate logistic support for the operations of the agency and called on other stakeholders to support NAPTIP.
Speaking earlier, The NAPTIP Director – General, Julie Okah – Donli, had recalled the painful ordeal of victims of human trafficking saying that many of them who survived the exploitation would not be able to forget their horrendous experiences.
She told the Bayelsa governor that the Agency has now decided to take the battle to the doorpost of the traffickers saying that their days were over.
She disclosed that the fight against human trafficking was a fight for the soul of the nation saying that the major target group of human traffickers are the youths and women who she described as the pillar of any nation.
She told the Governor know that Bayelsa State is one of the endemic States for trafficking as it is a Source, transit and destination for various purposes. Its coastal nature, couple with the presence of many oil companies contribute to the endemic state;
This situation according to her also makes the work of the Agency quite enormous and difficult and the dwindling fortunes of the Agency has made things more difficult, hence the need for the support of all Nigerian.
and then