Author: Micheal Onwuchelu

President of the Benue State Union in Cote d’Ivoire, Chief Joseph Onah said the President of the Nigerian Community in Cote d’Ivoire, Chief Michael Emeka Onwuchelu is doing a great job to bring every Nigerian tribe together and also making the Nigerian community the best amongst the foreign communities in Cote d’Ivoire.

He stated this in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Community Website last Friday at his luxurious office in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The man who also doubles as the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of TSW Cote d’Ivoire and the Aid-Life Group of Companies, Cote d’Ivoire said, “Onwuchelu is doing a lot, in fact, he is transforming the community in Cote d’Ivoire. He is trying to bring everybody together. He is a unifier. Just like I said earlier, I am the President of the Benue Community and he is trying to bring all of us together as one Nigeria, to see how we can fight this menace called trafficking and prostitution together and also see how we can avert other crimes in Cote d’Ivoire.

“So he is doing a lot, trying to bring everybody together. We are using this opportunity to encourage him not to give up, no matter the challenges, no matter the difficulties, we encourage him to continue to keep it up, we are solidly behind him and giving him all our supports especially as he is making frantic efforts to make the Nigerian community the best amongst the foreign communities in Cote d’Ivoire,” he said.

On Benue girls who were rescued from prostitution in Cote d’Ivoire, the Ojikpururu 1 Ny’Igede said, “I am very very disappointed to see our girls doing this because Benue people are hardworking people. Our girls are not known for prostitution. Everybody is looking for greener pasture and when you ask these girls, you will discover that they were not told from Nigeria that they are bringing them for prostitution.

“They are told that there are better jobs that they will be well paid. They deceive them and because they are looking for greener pastures, they follow them here and unfortunately, when they are here, they seize their phones hence they cannot communicate with their family members and relatives; only to be taken to the ghetto (brothel), so those are some of the issues and we are very disappointed,” he noted.

He however advised parents against allowing their children to accept any offer but rather educate them while also calling on government to prosecute those behind the trafficking of innocent children for prostitution. “My message to our parents back home is to educate their children that before anybody deceive them or send them to anywhere, they should be able to get information of such person who is coming to tell them that they have job opportunities for their children.”

Chief Onah continued, “If they are able to get information about the person that is volunteering to help, or give them job out there, that would be nice but if they can’t get in touch with their girls within one month, after traveling, then they can report the person to the police or other relevant authorities.”

“People that are involved in criminality, recruiting our girls and taking them out for prostitution are committing grievous crime and government must do something urgently to arrest and prosecute them, by ensuring that they face the wrath of the law,” he noted.

On what to do to reduce or probably put an end to the menace Chief Onah said, “The first thing is to tighten our border between Nigeria and Benin Republic, which is the Seme-border. And if the Nigerian and Benin Republic securities are able to collaborate, I believe they will be able to curtail this menace because you discover that these children are passing through the Seme-border by land or sea; and if they can also collaborate with the Cote d’Ivoire government, I believe they will be able to tackle the menace.

He concluded by saying, “If those children are found, they should not just repatriate them back to Nigeria but try to investigate using those rescued to track the cartel. The people that are involved in this criminal act, recruiting the girls, forcing them into prostitution are committing grievous crime hence government should do something urgently about it by ensuring that they face the wrath of the law,” he concluded.

Watch out for the full interview tomorrow

The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Community in Cote d’Ivoire, Chief Davidson Ogbu has charged the Nigerian government especially its agencies to live up to their responsibility in the fight against human trafficking and prostitution.

He made this call in an exclusive interview with the Nigerian Community Media Team last Friday in his magnificent home in Abidjan.

The man who also doubles as the President of the Delta State Union in Cote d’Ivoire and who is very passionate about Nigerian affairs said one of the contributing factors to human trafficking is lack of education and enlightenment on the parts of the youths and their parents.

His words, “There are a lot Nigerian government can do, it is about policies. Where are these girls being trafficked passing? They are definitely passing through our borders. We have Nigeria Customs Service, we have Nigeria Immigration Service, and others, that is one. Then two, education. There is need for proper education amongst the youth especially the young girls and also their parents.”

Chief Ogbu also charged the federal government to make life easier for Nigerians back home as the economic is biting hard on them which is indirectly putting pressure on Nigerians in diaspora while also urging them to come up with solutions that will help to alleviate the suffering of the people.

He said, “The federal government also needs to make life easier for Nigerians, let’s tell ourselves the truth. Americans are not coming to Nigeria to prostitute neither are other countries coming to Nigeria to prostitute. It is we Nigerians that are going to other countries. So there is need for us to find home-grown solution. Our government needs to be up and doing.

Lastly, the Delta State-Born Businessman urged the federal government to take stringent measures to punish traffickers so that they can be deterred from the business while also calling on other government agencies to collaborate to make the fight a success. “If people see that traffickers are being prosecuted, a lot of people will be scared to get into that kind of business.

“The bulk falls on the federal government; they have to enact a law that will go a long way to curtail these human trafficking activities. They should ensure that people are being jailed. For instance, if a person traffics a child and goes to prison for 20 years, people will be deterred from such business. All the government agencies – NAPTIP, Nigerians in Diaspora, Nigeria Immigration, and others at the borders should collaborate to make sure that this menace is reduced to the barest minimum,” he concluded.