The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) says it will begin to monitor the usage of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund meant for the protection of trafficking victims in Nigeria.
The NAPTIP Director-General, Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
She said that funds meant for the protection of victims of trafficking were not being put to proper use by some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who were the major beneficiaries of the fund in the country.
Okah-Donli, who was recently appointed as member of the UN Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC), further noted that most NGOs involved in human trafficking activities were not utilising funds allocated to them appropriately.
She, therefore, pledged to use her position as a member of the UNODC board to monitor activities of such NGOs and possibly change the narrative.
She explained that “we were recently informed that Nigeria had been a beneficiary of this very important trust fund for a long time, the UN work directly with these NGOs who are into activities concerning human trafficking.
“Now that I am in the board, I will use my position to monitor the use of the fund to ensure that it is used for the right purpose.”
The director general said it was regrettable that some of the NGOs were not even registered with the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), the body in charge of such NGOs.
Okah-Donli pleaded with NGOs who were confused about the use of the fund to come to NAPTIP and enquire.
She added that a committee on victims’ trust fund would soon be inaugurated by the agency to assist and make the evacuation of stranded victims abroad easy.
According to her, NAPTIP will take the driver’s seat to oversee the activities of partner agencies.
The UN Secretary General recently announced Okah-Donli’s appointment as member of the UNODC.
She was appointed alongside four others from Philippines, Armenia, Belgium and Panama to manage the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for the protection of victims of trafficking, with full respect to their human rights.
