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Residents Of 18 LGAs In Anambra State Benefit Relief Materials From Chief Agbasimelo

Published

4 years ago

April 25, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The quest of Chief Eloka Godwin Agbasimelo, the founder of the Oga ndi Oga Foundation to reduce the burden of people of Anambra state has continue to wax stronger day by day, as Residents of 18 Local Government Areas out of 21 recieved the food items to cushion effect of COVID-19 in the state.

While many Nigerians in other states were seen scrampling to adjust in an attempt to reduce unprecedented impact of Pandemic Covid-19, Anambra indegenes, home and abroad, were seen smiling courtesy of the kind hearted Chief Agbasimelo.

The gesture which was put in place by him in the 18 LGAs, owing to the relief materials distributed, were packages of 70,000 Ten kilogram bags of rice, among other food items.
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The representatives of the different local government came to receive their own in the Chairman’s home town Ezinifite in Nnewi South LGA, Anambra state.

Distributing the food items, the Coordinator of Oga ndi Oga foundation, Chief Engr Echezona Uzoka was on ground to distribute the items in line with what the Chairman of Oga ndi Oga Foundation and Goddosky International FC Chief Eloka Godwin Agbasimelo has been doing to touch the lives of the people living in Anambra state and outside the state.

According to the coordinator, the Chairman will continue to help people as it is a commitment he has decided to see to the end.

It’s on record that Chief Agbasimelo, a philanthropist, has been using his resources to help the needy.

Just few days ago, Anambrans in their numbers in Lagos recieved the support of the benevolent Chief, with different food items to help people who cannot go out to source for their daily meals, as the lockdown is taking a toll on millions of people in the country.

It doesn’t end there, recently, Chief Agbasimelo gave out hundreds of ladies motorcycles to individual women of different local government to enable the traders who find it difficult getting to the place of their trade in neighbouring towns in Anambra state.

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Featured

NAPTIP Restates Commitment To Fighting Human Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

… decries corruption in law enforcement, weak legislation

The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, has pledged the agency’s commitment to fight human trafficking.

Waziri-Azi gave the assurance during an anti-corruption radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development, PRIMORG, in Abuja.

The commitment by NAPTIP follows an investigative report by Human Angle Media exposing how many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt are inhumanely treated and exploited by their sponsors.

Represented by the agency’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Mrs. Kehinde Akomolafe, decried the rising number of Nigerians who are victims of trafficking, pledging that “NAPTIP is fighting on all sides to curb human trafficking.”

Akomolafe disclosed that the agency is aware of the report of Nigerians trafficked to Egypt and has already commenced interventions to rescue them while warning citizens to be wary of “offers that are too good to be true.”

She identified weak legislation, lengthy judicial processes, and corrupt law enforcement officials as factors aiding and abetting trafficking in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world.

“Corruption is endemic and cuts across other countries of the world, and that’s why trafficking is easily perpetrated in Nigeria and around the globe. You find law enforcement officials aiding and abetting traffickers. Some of them know these traffickers from their operations either at the entry or exit point. They give them something or become too familiar with them.

“Apart from the bribery aspect, we also have officials turning a blind eye to trafficking activities, and that’s why for us at the agency (NAPTIP), we are not resting.”

According to her, the agency, from inception, secured 672 convictions, 67 in 2023, and 35 persons so far this year (2024). She added that “NAPTIP is winning the war against trafficking but still wants stiffer punishment for traffickers and the support of the judiciary in hastening cases.

“weak legislation is aiding trafficking. That’s why the agency continues pushing for amendments. Currently, NAPTIP is pushing for stiffer punishment against traffickers that will lead to confiscation of their monies and property.

“NAPTIP Director-General (Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi) is fighting on all sides against human trafficking.

“Where law enforcement officials are found complicit, NAPTIP Director-General does not take it lightly; she doesn’t compromise her anti-corruption stance even when a staff is involved,” Akomolafe stated.

According to the Editor of Southern Operations, Human Angle Media, Kabir Adejumo, many Nigerians trafficked to Egypt engage in forced labour. They are also living in fear as authorities go after illegal immigrants.

Adejumo said victims interviewed during the investigation are willing and interested in returning home, but their sponsors refuse to release their travel passports and threaten to implicate them.

He also revealed that the NAPTIP and Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) are aware of the plight of Nigerians trafficked in Egypt and have currently rescued one person.

On her part, the Programme Manager of the Human Angle Foundation, Angela Umoro-David, expressed satisfaction at NAPTIP’s response to trafficking cases while urging the agency to stay on course with their mandate.

Umoro-David called on Nigerians to use a Freedom of Information platform (foi.humananglemedia.com) to help citizens navigate requests for public records from different government parastatals and agencies.

She stressed that the platform “is a website where people can submit their FOI requests to us (Human Angle), and we’ll submit it on their behalf to the particular agency. So we act as middlemen, connecting these government parastatals to the citizens”.

Public Conscience is a syndicated weekly anti-corruption radio program PRIMORG uses to draw government and citizens’ attention to corruption and integrity issues in Nigeria.

The program has the support of the MacArthur Foundation

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