The newly-appointed Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Binta Bello, has promised to fully enforce all instruments and counter-trafficking policies to minimise human trafficking in the country, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She stated this in Abuja on Thursday while addressing management and officers of the agency on her assumption of duty as Director-General of the agency.
Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngalale, announced Bello’s appointment as the Director General of NAPTIP, succeeding Prof Fatima Waziri–Azi.
Speaking shortly after inspecting the guards of honour mounted by the NAPTIP’s parade squad, the DG thanked Tinubu for her appointment, stating that policies will be strengthened and that officers of the agency will be motivated and stimulated to work hard to justify the confidence reposed on NAPTIP by the entire Nation.
“I am ready for enforcement. We shall not, by the grace of God, disappoint Mr. President, who has directed me to come and continue from where others stopped. Every one of you will be carried along, and you should be ready to work so that we can reach our target.
” I will look at the administrative setting here and give each of you a target per month, and you will be evaluated on that basis. We must work very hard to make sure that we are within the vision and mission of this Agency. Anything short of that, we are a failure”, she stated.
Speaking also at the enlarged management meeting of the Directors and Heads of Units, the Director of Research and Programme Development, Mr. Josiah Emerole, congratulated the DG on her appointment and expressed confidence that, based on her notable achievements in previous national assignments, she will certainly take the agency to a higher level of accomplishment.
Emerole said the agency consists of trained professionals and loyal officers while giving assurances of the unflinching support of the entire workforce. The high point of the meeting was the official handing over of some vital Institutional documents and policies to the Director General.
Bello previously served as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Women Affairs, Health and Aviation. She had also worked as a Director at the National Poverty Alleviation Programme, and the Ministry of Finance, among others.