Politics
THE Senate on Wednesday, November 29, called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to invite the Libyan ambassador to Nigeria and discuss how to end the ongoing Libyan slave trade which allegedly involves the sale of Africans, some of them of Nigerian descent, as slaves.
In a motion titled: “Urgent Need to Protect Nigerian Citizens from the Libya Slavery Auctions,” which was sponsored by Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai, the Senate called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to use the opportunity of the ongoing European Union and African Union, EU-AU, Summit in Abidjan to table the matter before the Libyan delegation.
In his comments, Bukola Saraki, president of the Senate, said: “As a country it is a slap in the face if Nigerians can be treated in this manner. Other countries are taking necessary actions to bring back their citizens from that troubled country. We need to be doing similar things. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must immediately summon the Libyan Ambassador here in Nigeria to explain what is happening, so that we can bring an end to this situation.”
Ike Ekweremadu, deputy Senate president, speaking on the motion, submitted that the Senate must urge governments at all levels in Africa to take steps to ameliorate the economic hardship that is fuelling the migration crises.
Speaking on the motion, Bassey Albert Akpan, a senator from Akwa Ibom, said: “The time has come as a country to look into this issue. The Nigerian Ambassador to Libya must be invited to explain why this slavery auction has been going on unabated.”
“It is high time that we resorted to citizen diplomacy in Nigeria,” Dino Melaye, a senator from Kogi State, said contributing to the motion, “The Nigerian government must not only take the life of every Nigerian seriously, it must also defend its citizens wherever they are in the world.”
– Nov. 29, 2017 @ 17:35 GMT
Tags: Bassey Albert Akpan Bukola Saraki Dino Melaye Ike Ekweremadu President Muhammadu Buhari Senate Seeks Urgent End to Alleged Slave Trade Activities in Libya
