The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, on Tuesday alerted the Federal Government that the current economic situation in the country could lead to increase in human trafficking in Nigeria if not addressed.
According to The Vanguard, Onaiyekan stated this while speaking at the Caritas conference on human trafficking within and from Africa, in Abuja.
The cleric urged the government to find a lasting solution to the economic situation, as he called on them to create an enabling environment for youths to embrace agriculture.
He said, “It (trafficking) is likely to increase the number of frustrated people who cannot make ends meet. You know by the time you finish university and you are roaming the streets for three, four, five and six years no job and you are becoming 30 or 31 years of age with no future, it is very difficult to sit down quietly.
“Maybe they (government) are telling people to look for other ways of making a living, go to farm but government will have to do a little bit more to make it possible for young people to go to farm or to do other things but to just sit down doing nothing and rotting away is a little bit frustrating. That is what I know.
“But, like I said, immigration to an unknown destination is not the real answer. People say that it can always be better up there.
‘’It is not true. It can be worse over there than what you are facing here. At least here you have no winter, you can sleep under the bridge. You cannot sleep under the bridge there. You will die of cold.”
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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