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U.S. Pledges To Support Nigeria’s Fight Against Modern-day Slavery

Published

4 years ago

January 28, 2022

The U.S. government on Thursday pledged to support Nigeria in its efforts to combat modern-day slavery and all forms of human trafficking and smuggling.

Ms Kathleen FlitzGibbon, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, said this at an event organised to commemorate the 2022 National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

The event, held in collaboration with the DEVATOP Center for African Development under its “TALKAM” Human Rights Project, had the theme “improving awareness on Human Trafficking and increasing Reportage of Cases”.

According to FlitzGibbon, human trafficking has taken various forms and is also known as modern-day slavery which requires collaborative efforts to effectively tackle.

She said that in Nigeria, modern-day slavery had continued to thrive under the guise of relatives taking young girls and boys out of the villages to the city to give them education.

She said that the training of advocates by DEVATOP center would help bring some of the tricks to the limelight and sensitise those in rural communities so that they do not fall victims.

FlitzGibbom further said that deepening partnerships with a broad array of stakeholders inside and outside government was therefore critical to bolstering Nigeria’s anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling efforts.

“What we see at the countrysides which are the aunties in the villages seeking help from people to get education for their children by sending them off to the cities to work in somebody’s house.

“And we know that traditional part has become a major form of trafficking, and we do have a lot of attention in Nigeria with prostitution into Italy.

“The biggest problem for all African countries is the domestic servitude part of it,” she said.

The deputy chief said that type of training for civil societies was a plus multiplier for NAPTIP, the police, immigration, and other law enforcement agencies.

“Because when you see something, you say something to them they can take action. So this programme is so great.

“Human Trafficking has no place in a society that values freedom and the rule of law, hence for these reasons, the United States stands with Nigeria in its fight against trafficking,” FlitzGibbon said.

Dr Fatima Waziri- Azi, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) commended DEVATOP Center for African Development for its advocacy which was yielding visible results.

Waziri-Azi, represented by Mrs Roseline Abare, NAPTIP’s Chief Intelligent Officer, Public Enlightenment Department said the agency was pleased to work with the center full of youths with drive.

“TALKAM Human Rights project is a valuable initiative especially as it focuses on combatting human trafficking and related human rights abuses.

“It is also very commendable that TALKAM project, with the support of the U.S. Embassy, Abuja, is marking this year’s National Human Trafficking Month in graduating 40 human rights advocates.

“Driving the nexus between the visions of the DEVATOP Center and the responsibilities of NAPTIP.

“As an NGO that is also led by the youths, we, NAPTIP applaud your aggressive nature towards your impacting over a million people through training, sensitisations, and awareness campaigns.

“NAPTIP is pleased to work with you and wishes you more success in your endeavours,” Waziri-Azi said.

Also, Mrs Victoria Oladiran, DEVATOP Center Communication’s Associate said it would continue to carry out sensitisation and campaigns in the society to tackle the menace.

Oladiran said that the center had trained over 50 advocates who would in turn carry out extensive sensitisation in their communities. (NAN)

Headline

Meta Suspends Activists For Showing Election Killings

Published

11 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Editor

Meta suspended the Instagram accounts of two Tanzanian activists on Thursday after they posted images of the violent crackdown by security forces on election protests, which authorities have tried to suppress.

Tanzania descended into violence on October 29, the day of elections deemed fraudulent by international observers.

More than 1,000 people were shot dead by security forces over several days of unrest, according to the opposition and rights groups, though the government has yet to give a final toll.

Mange Kimambi, who has more than 2.5 million Instagram followers, had been posting hundreds of photos of the dead and wounded since early November, sent to her by Tanzanians via WhatsApp, she told AFP last month from the United States.

Not all the images have been verified, but AFP fact checkers and other media and investigative sites have found many are real.

On Thursday, Kimambi, in a letter to US President Donald Trump published on X, complained that her Instagram accounts and WhatsApp number had been “deactivated after I raised awareness about a series of severe abuses and horrific events occurring in Tanzania”, including “kidnappings, killings and imprisonment of opposition leaders on fabricated treason charges”.

Another prominent Tanzanian activist, Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who lives in exile, also had her Instagram account suspended, though only within Tanzania.

“Check out @Meta @instagram and their role in enabling the cover up of #TanzaniaMassacre by restricting and deleting our Instagram and Whatsapp accounts,” Tsehai posted on X.

“This is a direct attack on human rights defenders! We work to save lives by whistleblowing about abductions, corruption and killings,” she added.

Contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for Meta justified the action against Kimambi in the name of its “policy against recidivism”, implying she had created new accounts after others were suspended.

The action against Tsehai was a response to “a legal order from Tanzanian regulators”, the spokesperson said.

“If we are unable to provide our services there, millions of people will be deprived of connecting with family and friends,” Meta added.

In early November, Tanzania’s attorney general, Hamza Johari, called for Kimambi to be arrested and threatened to try to have her extradited from the United States, where she lives.

Headline

Why Europe Is Blocking More Nigerian Goods At Its Borders

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s exports continue to face repeated rejection in European Union markets, a challenge caused by consistent quality failures, weak regulatory enforcement, and heavy dependence on raw commodities.

New trade figures further show that while export values expressed in naira have risen sharply, dollar earnings have continued to decline, undermining Nigeria’s competitiveness abroad.

Meanwhile, South Africa remains one of the African countries with the highest rate of export acceptance in Nigeria and the EU, highlighting the gaps between both economies’ standards and certification systems.

According to data from International Trade Centre (ITC) , Nigeria’s export earnings fell for a second consecutive year in 2024, dropping by 8.5% to $57.9 billion.

The figure had already declined from $63.3 billion in 2022 to $60.65 billion in 2023. In naira terms, however, total exports rose from ₦26.8 trillion in 2022 to ₦36 trillion in 2023 and surged to ₦77.4 trillion in 2024.

These increases reflect the naira’s steep depreciation, not an improvement in the volume or acceptance of Nigerian goods overseas.

Intelpoint data show that the naira weakened from ₦645.2 to the dollar at the end of 2023 to ₦1,478.9 in 2024, marking the sharpest yearly decline in a decade.

EU border agencies have repeatedly rejected Nigerian agricultural and manufactured goods for failing to meet essential sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.

Frequent violations include excessive pesticide residue, poor traceability, contamination detected during inspection, and inconsistencies in certification documentation issued in Nigeria.

These failures stem largely from fragmented supply chains, weak monitoring capacity and a lack of internationally accredited laboratories.

South Africa, Morocco and Kenya maintain far stronger conformity systems, and South Africa in particular consistently delivers some of the highest acceptance rates across EU ports.

The ITC figures show that oil remains the backbone of Nigeria’s exports, contributing nearly 90 per cent of total earnings between 2022 and 2024. Over that period, the country earned $163.2 billion from crude oil out of total export revenues of $181.8 billion.

Despite this dominance, oil earnings have continued to fall, declining from $57.4 billion in 2022 to $55.6 billion in 2023 and then to $50.3 billion in 2024.

Because crude prices are determined externally and the product is exported with limited value addition, Nigeria gains little competitive advantage from currency depreciation.

Non-oil exports recorded mixed fortunes. Cocoa earnings rose from $679 million in 2022 to $759 million in 2023 and climbed sharply to $2.6 billion in 2024.

Fertiliser exports fell from $1.9 billion in 2022 to $935.4 million in 2024. Ores and residues, however, increased from $158.6 million in 2023 to $824.4 million in 2024.

Despite positive growth in some sectors, quality problems have continued to undermine acceptance in Europe, particularly for foods such as beans, palm oil and processed crops.

Nigeria recorded stronger performance in African markets in 2024 due to the relative strength of the West African CFA franc.

Companies such as Unilever Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria and Guinness Nigeria reported export sales of ₦22.8 billion in 2024, up from ₦9.92 billion in the preceding year. EU markets, however, maintain stricter inspection standards, and Nigeria’s structural weaknesses continue to limit penetration.

The country’s export structure remains heavily constrained by outdated processing technology, weak inspection capacity, irregular regulatory monitoring, and an overreliance on raw commodities.

Also, pipeline vandalism and crude theft also prevent Nigeria from meeting its production benchmark of 1.7 million barrels per day, despite a rise to 1.5 million barrels per day in 2024.

In December 2023, the Federal Government introduced the Trade Policy of Nigeria (2023–2027), aimed at aligning export regulations with World Trade Organisation rules and boosting global competitiveness.

The policy forms part of a wider reform agenda tied to the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and Agenda 2050.

Despite these initiatives, limited investment in quality assurance, industrial processing and standards enforcement continues to weaken Nigeria’s acceptance in high-value markets such as the EU.

Headline

US Imposes Visa Restrictions On Nigerians Linked To Religious Freedom Violations

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The United States government on Wednesday announced visa restrictions targeting individuals involved in violations of religious freedom in Nigeria. The measures may also extend to immediate family members of the affected persons.

In a statement titled “Combating Egregious Anti-Christian Violence in Nigeria and Globally”, the Department of State said the restrictions were being implemented in response to mass killings and attacks on Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and elsewhere.

The statement explained that under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department would now have the authority to deny visas to those who have “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” with the policy potentially extending to their immediate family members.

It further cited former President Donald Trump’s remarks, noting that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.” The policy will apply to Nigeria and other governments or individuals implicated in violations of religious freedom.

The announcement follows growing international concern over attacks on religious communities in Nigeria, including targeted killings, abductions, and destruction of property attributed to armed groups.