Senate to probe appointment of NYSC DG by Buratai

Published

5 years ago

May 1, 2019

Senate to probe appointment of NYSC DG by Buratai

The Senate has resolved to investigate the allegation of infraction in the appointment of a new Director-General for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The lawmakers made the resolution after deliberating on the matter on Tuesday during plenary at the upper house of the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Senator Dino Melaye, who represents Kogi West district, had raised a point of order on the appointment of a new NYSC DG by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

According to him, the army chief committed an infraction on the Constitution by removing the former Director-General of the corps and replacing him with someone else.

“We should not allow a constitutional country governed by laws be taken for granted,” the lawmaker said.

In his contribution, Senator Bassey Akpan from Akwa Ibom North-East seconded the order by Senator Melaye and requested that the matter should be investigated.

Thereafter, the Senate referred the matter to its Committee on Youths and Sports for investigation.

The committee was asked to report within one week.

“Chairman, Senate Committee on Youths and Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba, the report should be back, laid and considered as it is straight forward,” the Senate President, Bukola Saraki said.

The Nigerian Army had directed Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim to take over from Major General Sule Kazaure as the new NYSC DG.

A statement from the army on Friday last week explained that the development was part of postings and appointments of some senior officers in the force.

Brigadier General Ibrahim was redeployed from the Nigerian Army University, Biu, while Major General Kazaure was posted to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre as a senior resource person

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook