In continuation of its back to school campaign, RuthChild Foundation in collaboration with Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, cautioned pupils of some selected primary schools in Uhunmwode Local Government Area to be wary of human traffickers who may want to traffic them abroad.
While addressing the pupils at Eyaen Primary School, the foundation’s Focal Person, Comrade Solomon Okoduwa, donated over three hundred notebooks to the pupils on behalf of the foundation. He said the exercise is aimed at exposing the activities of human traffickers and how they lure young ones.
Okoduwa said they will not rest on their oars until the perpetrators of the evil in the state are arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
“We are taking the campaign across the eighteen local government areas of the state. We’ll ensure that the notebooks get to indigent pupils and students.
The Executive Director, RuthChild Foundation, Mr. Stephen Adigun, explained that the exercise was to boost the morale of the pupils and ensure they are not deceived by marauding traffickers.
He said: “We are here in your school today to educate you about irregular migration and the risk of travelling out of Nigeria through Niger Republic and Libya.
“We don’t want you to use your money to sell yourself to slavery. A lot of people have been deceived that there is work in Europe or Italy to be specific.
“The truth is that they are using them for prostitution and other illegal use. Human trafficking is on the rise globally and a lot of Nigerians have been trafficked and many have died on their way to Europe.
“We are glad to give you this notebooks which should serve as a continuous reminder for you on irregular migration. We are grateful to Niger Delta Power Holding Company for providing us with funding, and I thank the MD of NDPHC, Mr. Chiedu Ugbo, for his support to Ruthschild Foundation.”
Receiving the notebooks on behalf of the pupils, the Assistant Headmistress of Eyaen Primary School, Mrs Uwubanmwen Temietan thanked the donors for the kind gesture and promised to distribute them accordingly.
Precious Ofure, a primary five pupil of the school, who spoke on behalf of others, said the notebooks will help many of her schoolmates especially those who are yet to purchase writing materials.
She appealed to other well-meaning Nigerians to support indigent pupils and students to get writing materials, sandals and other basic things to make them comfortable in school.
