In a bid to end modern day slavery, business mogul and philanthropist, Capt. (Dr) Idahosa Wells Okunbo will lead experts, non-state-actors, decision makers, policy Drivers, law enforcement agents and development partners in a one-day conference organised by Nigerian Young Professionals Forum, NYPF.
The Chairman of NYPF, Moses Siloko Siasia in a statement on Tuesday, noted that youths constitute a high percentage of victims of illegal migration and human trafficking.
He added that Dr. Taiwo Olayinka Afolabi MON, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SIFAX Group, a multinational conglomerate, and Mr. Tein Teinibo Jack-rich who is President & Founder of Belemaoil Producing Ltd will join Dr Okunbo in the high-level discussion on the urgent interventions necessary to address the rising menace of modern slavery and organized human trafficking in Nigeria.
“With the coming on board by these three business leaders in the fight to end modern slavery, it is a considered expectation that other enlightened and broad-minded business leaders, who should be important stakeholders in the struggle to end modern slavery, would wake up to join the fight for a human trafficking-free nation,” Siasia noted.
Siasia said that the NYPF, through its partner agencies, will provide sustainable skill-based training and start-up incentives to help re-integrate victims of human trafficking into the larger society.
The purpose of this intervention, according to Siasia, is to create tangible economic solutions to issues of forced migration and human trafficking and to encourage those who are victims to seek help through these sustainable Skills and Entrepreneurship programmes.
The conference which will hold in Abuja on June 10th is expected to feature other prominent speakers and opinion leaders.
Capt. Idahosa is a retired Commercial Pilot and a business magnate, with a business profile spanning over 30 years in Nigeria. At the age of 21, he graduated from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre, Zaria as a professional Commercial Pilot. Later on, hewent on to establish Hoslyn Ventures Limited, a company focused on procurement in the Oil and Gas sector and, since then, his business interests have grown in leaps and bounds.
Owing to the restiveness in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Captain Okunbo set up Ocean Marine Security Limited, a pioneer Marine Security company responsible for offshore asset protection for major oil companies in Nigeria. As one who has been in involved in the development of human capacity as an air force officer and an employer of labor, Capt. Idahosa sees a connection between trafficking in human, especially the youth population, and the consequence of lack of productivity in the economy.
On his part, Dr. Taiwo Olayinka Afolabi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SIFAX Group, a multinational conglomerate, believes that tackling the issues of human trafficking will help eliminate the negative image brought on Nigeria and indeed the rest of Africa. He emphasis the role of entrepreneurship in curbing modern-day slavery, saying that equipping young people with requisite skills will invariably allow them more options and reduce the chances of them being trafficked.
Dr. Taiwo Afolabi with about three decades of rich entrepreneurial experience, and through the dint of hardwork, foresight, resilience, vision and knack for excellence, has emerged not only as one of the leading business icons in Nigeria, but also reckoned with across the world. His involvement in the fight against trafficking in persons and modern slavery explains his desire to ensure a society where people are free to pursue their dreams and excel by doing so.
Afolabi is a seasoned maritime consultant and a Fellow of many professional bodies including Nigerian Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), Institute of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (IFFN) and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of Nigeria. Due to his rich experience, Afolabi is a sought-after speaker and facilitator at various industry conferences and mentoring programmes.
Tein Teinbo Jack-rich who is President & Founder Belemaoil Producing Ltd., CEO J+G Global Gas & Oilfield Ltd and CEO Belema Gas & Oilfield Limited will also join the others in discussing the various ways to stem the ugly time of human trafficking through institutional and private sector driven, and enlightened business interest.
An exemplary philanthropist, Jack-Rich founded J+G Global Gas & Oilfield Limited in 1998 and other subsidiaries to provide oil and gas related services.
