The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has pledged her support to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in its ongoing fight against human trafficking.
She made this commitment when the Director-General of the agency, Hajia Binta Lami Adamu Bello, led the top management of NAPTIP on a visit to her office at the State House, Abuja.
During the meeting, the First Lady, who was briefed on the agency’s activities—particularly the recent raid on a baby factory in Abuja, where 19 pregnant young girls were rescued—urged youths to avoid making themselves easy targets for traffickers and other criminal elements by embracing patience and hard work.
“The get-rich-quick syndrome is not helping matters. Even our religious institutions are focused on prosperity preaching. Yet, the Bible emphasizes the importance of hard work,” she said.
“Social media is also not helping, and Nollywood plays a role as well,” she added.
Senator Tinubu reaffirmed her support for NAPTIP, beginning with engaging the wives of state governors to enhance awareness and advocacy for the agency’s activities.
Earlier, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Hajia Binta Lami Adamu Bello, sought the First Lady’s support for the agency’s renewed campaign against human trafficking and gender-based violence (GBV).
She emphasized that tackling human trafficking remains a top priority, as the trend is becoming increasingly alarming.
“Trafficking in persons is the second-largest transnational organized crime in the world after drug trafficking. It is also a significant menace in Nigeria, requiring the buy-in and active engagement of critical stakeholders to combat it,” she stated.
Despite NAPTIP’s recent successes—including the rescue of 21 young victims taken from Niger State en route to the Republic of Niger—she highlighted key challenges such as resource mobilization and gaps in legal frameworks.
Hajia Bello identified skills acquisition, awareness advocacy, adequate shelter and safe homes, as well as legislative and policy support, as areas where the First Lady’s intervention would be valuable.
In a separate engagement, the First Lady also received the new national executives of the National Council for Women Societies of Nigeria (NCWS), led by its new National President, Princess Edna Azura.
The delegation visited her office to express gratitude for her motherly support to the council, particularly following the passing of its immediate past National President, Hajia Lami Adamu Lau.
Commending the council for its unity, Senator Tinubu encouraged them to do more for their members by leveraging programs under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) at the subnational levels.
She reiterated her commitment to building stronger families through the Renewed Hope Initiative.
