PROSPER OKOYE
In a defining moment for Nigeria’s anti-trafficking movement, a survivor of irregular migration through Libya, Osita Osemene, has emerged as President of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, NACTAL, Africa’s largest coalition against human trafficking.
Osemene was inaugurated on Thursday in Abuja as the 4th National President of the network, marking the first time a survivor-leader will head the over 200-member civil society coalition.
At the inauguration ceremony, Chairman of NACTAL Board of Trustees, Amina Titilayo Atiku-Abubakar, presented the certificate of leadership to Osemene and charged him to consolidate on the gains recorded under outgoing President, Abdulganiyu Abubakar.
Atiku-Abubakar said Osemene’s personal journey from victim to advocate gives him a rare lived-experience perspective that could reshape victim protection and rehabilitation in Nigeria.
She commended the outgoing leadership for inclusive governance and called for a seamless transition including formal introduction of the new President to government agencies and international partners to ensure continuity.
The inauguration drew solidarity from key partners in the counter-trafficking space.
Javier Leon, Deputy Team Leader at FIAP, told CSOs that behind trafficking data are real lives, families and shattered communities, urging them not to relent despite low visibility.
Director of Migrant Affairs at the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NCFRMI, Ambassador Catherine Udida, who expressed confidence in the new leadership, also condemned the alleged ill-treatment of Nigerians repatriated from Ghana and urged NACTAL to join advocacy for justice.
Project Manager at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, ICMPD, Amarachi Chike-Jerry, and Project Director at the International Labour Organization, ILO, Agatha Kolawale, both reaffirmed continued technical and institutional support for NACTAL.
In his handover remarks, outgoing President Abubakar described Osemene as a bold and experienced civil society actor, whose survivor background would strengthen the network’s credibility.
In his acceptance speech, Osemene unveiled what he called Consolidation and Scale Agenda built on five pillars.
According to him, his administration will focus on capacity building and economic empowerment for member organisations, transparency and inclusion, institutional sustainability, counter-trafficking and accountability, and evidence-based programming and regional leadership.
He said priority would be given to emerging and survivor-led organisations through training, mentorship, technical assistance and improved access to funding.
To entrench accountability, he announced quarterly reporting for member organisations, state and zonal coordinators, and an annual national human trafficking conference to evaluate interventions nationwide.
He also said NACTAL under his leadership would work with the National Executive Council, NAPTIP and other stakeholders to improve human trafficking data for better policy planning and coordination.
Osemene said his administration will place survivors at the centre of interventions, not as mere beneficiaries but as rights-holders and decision-makers.
He pledged to push for expanded access to safe shelters, psychosocial support, healthcare, legal aid, education, skills acquisition and sustainable livelihoods, while strengthening survivor-led organisations.
He also promised inclusion of persons with disabilities across NACTAL’s programmes and leadership structures, including accessible communication and services.
He disclosed that he had commenced an organisational capacity assessment of survivor-led groups ahead of inauguration, saying the findings would shape future support.
Osemene called for deeper collaboration from government, development partners and the private sector, pledging to lead with integrity, transparency and measurable impact to extend NACTAL’s reach across Nigeria and West Africa.