- Over 15,000 boys and girls are trafficked out of West Africa yearly into sports slavery
The quest for greener pastures and misplaced priorities, have been attributed to be the foremost reason behind trafficking in persons in Nigeria.
At the just concluded webinar organised by the Sports Committee of the Unity Bar, (Nigerian Bar Association, NBA), Abuja, tagged ‘Human Trafficking and Slavery in Sports: The Way Forward’, the immediate past Director General (DG) of the National Agency For The Prohibition of Trafficking Among Persons (NAPTIP) Dame Julie Okah Donli credited the rise in human trafficking and slavery in sports to the misplaced priority placed by some young people on the need to acquire wealth by all means.
Donli also ascribed high expectations from family, friends and the mind-set that things are better outside the shores of Nigeria as part of the motive behind the menace.
The former DG said it is immensely depressing, that a lot young aspiring sports stars are being lured into trafficking across Nigeria’s shores with false promises. Many of such promising young people she noted were taken captive as soon they set foot abroad.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Unity Bar of Sports Committee, Mr Afam Okeke, reiterated the evil of human trafficking and slavery in sports, “the importance and need for us all to tackle this evil monster ravaging our society.”
On the way forward, Donli made the following suggestions:
- A Comprehensive sensitization and grassroots awareness.
- Orientation and reorientation.
- Comprehensive database of sports agents in Nigeria.
- Synergy between ministry of sports and NAPTIP
- Security agencies must be on alert.
- Parents must be vigilant.
- Persons engaging in human trafficking must be brought to book.
- Fight should involve the whole society.
A co-presenter at the webinar, Mrs Beverly A. Agbakoba-Onyejianya, Head of Sports, Entertainment and Tech/Regulatory and Compliance Practice at Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL), disclosed that more than 15,000 boys and girls are trafficked out of West Africa every year since the 1970s
Agbakoba-Onyejianya who said there is a close relationship between slavery in sports and the rise in human trafficking disclosed that as organised as FIFA is, some unscrupulous and unlicensed agents still find their way into the international sports industry.
She further stated that: “Football slavery takes place through these unlicensed agents. In Nigeria, for example many clubs are neither registered nor recognized by the appropriate associations, let alone the intermediaries. In Nigeria, there is the Football Intermediaries Association of Nigeria (FIAN) for football. If one deals with any intermediary not on that list, he or she is acting on his own risk.”
Thereafter, Mrs Onyejianya gave some advice to young people and prospective clients:
- A cleanup has to be done by bringing sanity to our local sports in Nigeria. e.g. Lagos is currently undergoing a cleanup.
- Our governance should be strong and well addressed.
- Sensitization
- Pressure should be put on sports associations and authorities in charge of Nigerian borders.
- Accountability (individually and collectively).
- Policies should be developed to address these issues.
- Parents should try to take care of their children.
- Know your rights.
- Engage someone to test the waters for you
Re-emphasizing Mrs Onyejianya position, a participant, Mr Ayodele Babalola said it is imperative that intending sports professionals use the available legal sport networks in other to avoid unscrupulous and unlicensed agents. He illustrated this point with a story of a young sports professional close to him who was given a letter of invitation by a man who posed as an agent. The said agent claimed that the letter was from a 2nd Division Club in Germany inviting him for trials and subsequent enrollment.
When the aspiring footballer forwarded the letter to him (Ayodele), he contacted a friend in Germany to carry out an investigation. The report was shocking as investigation revealed:
- The club had been red-flagged in Germany.
- The club was a 7th division club
- The club was known for bringing internationals to Germany making several promises they never fulfill.
Ayodele concluded that some of these so called opportunities are not opportunities but slavery.
Chairperson of NBA Abuja represented by Secretary of the Branch, Prince Adebiyi Adetosoye said there was no better time to organize the webinar than now as sports have been used as a medium to notoriously traffic people around the globe.
In closing, Mr Afam Okeke said ‘‘we owe it to each other to get our act together. We cannot be indifferent. Our duty is to the common good and we can’t keep neglecting it. I believe the discussions we just had have helped uncover and assist us in understanding the evil of human trafficking, and the need for us to play our part in tackling the monster.”
