Abuja: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called on young Nigerians to take up the role of champions in promoting safe and legal migration within their communities. Mrs. Aisha Braimah, UNODC National Project Officer, made the call at a workshop in Abuja during the screening of an infomercial on migrant smuggling.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the initiative is part of the project ‘Strengthening Evidence-Based Response to Combat Smuggling of Migrants in Nigeria (Phase II),’ being implemented in partnership with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), iLEAD Africa, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and WOTCLEF. Braimah highlighted the importance of engaging young people, who are disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation by smugglers and traffickers, in promoting safe migration.
Braimah explained that the documentary was developed to bridge the gap in knowledge, using real stories, data, and visual storytelling to raise awareness on the risks, while also promoting safe and equal migration information. The goal is to ensure that migration, if undertaken, is done safely and legally. She emphasized that the screening was not just about raising awareness but also about empowering the participants as champions within their communities.
She noted that youth corps members who belong to the Community Development Service (CDS) group, and other participants, were well-positioned to extend sensitization efforts within their communities. Braimah encouraged participants to reflect deeply on the video and presentations, aiming to strengthen prevention efforts at both grassroots and national levels.
In her goodwill message, Mrs. Imaobong Ladipo-Sanusi, Executive Director of WOTCLEF, stressed the importance of empowering young people with prevention tools against migrant smuggling. She noted that the infomercial would aid young people in making informed migration decisions and highlighted the link between migrant smuggling and human trafficking, describing it as a crime against the state.
Ladipo-Sanusi expressed confidence that the infomercial would enable participants to spread the message widely. She urged the youth to act as ambassadors of safe migration, emphasizing the need to migrate through safe, orderly, and regular pathways. She commended UNODC and its partners for organizing the session and encouraged participants to carry the message of safe migration into their communities.
Participants at the workshop included youth corps members, and representatives from iLEAD Africa, UNODC, NIS, OHCHR, among others.