The Delta State Government said it plans to partner with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to train girls in Senior Secondary School levels between SS1, SS2, and SS3, to avoid being lured into human trafficking.

The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Community Support Services, and Girl Child Development, Miss Orode Uduaghan, made this known in Asaba, yesterday while briefing members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Asaba Correspondent’s Chapel, on programs and policies of the Ministry for the year ahead.

She also said that the government has entered into a partnership with Junior Achievers of Nigeria, to assist and empower survivors of trafficking in the state.

“This organization is coming to Delta State to partner with Secondary Schools to teach girls who are in SS2 and SS3 entrepreneurial skills. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, just recently approved that, so that is going to be happening in all the 25 local government areas of the state,” she said.

On girl-child development initiatives, the Commissioner announced that the state government had approved a program to train girls across the councils between the ages of 28 and 35 years on digital literacy, entrepreneurship skills, and business management to become self-sustaining individuals.

She observed that in the last year, the ministry in partnership with the Entrepreneurship Development Center had empowered 250 persons in each of the local government areas, saying 1700 outstanding participants were given grants of N150,000 each, to set up their businesses.

The chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Asaba Correspondent’s Chapel, Comrade Ifeanyi Olannye, thanked the commissioner for supporting poor and vulnerable households, especially under the current economic hardships.