FOR THE RECORDS: Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu did not sponsor any sponsor a a bill to legalise prostitution, but he asked the Senate to consider the possibility of legalising prostitution in the country.
Speaking during debate on a motion on the scourge of human trafficking in the country, Ekweremadu said since it has become impossible to stop prostitution in the land, the Senate should consider regulating the act in the country.
By denying sponsoring a Prostitution bill, Ekweremadu merely tries to play on our intelligence.
During the debate on human trafficking he said: "we need to regulate prostitution in this country so that if anyone wants to indulge in prostitution, the person should be registered and issued with a license. If we say we want to stop it, it would be difficult. It is done in other countries; let us regulate it by issuing license."
Also speaking on the matter, Senate President David Mark said it is difficult to stop the act of prostitution saying "the FCT administration has been trying to stop but they are facing stiff resistance because the prostitutes have their association and even their own legal adviser. It is a reasonably organised bad profession."
While debating on the motion that centred on human trafficking, several senators advocated for amendment to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Act to provide for capital punishment for those involved in human trafficking.
The position followed a motion on the scourge of human trafficking in the country moved by Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta (PDP, Niger East) and 33 other senators.
In his motion, Kuta said though NAPTIP is struggling to tackle the menace of human trafficking in the country, "the situation has been on the increase and has been identified as the world's fastest growing criminal industry, second only to drug trafficking and fraud.
In his contribution, Senator Uche Chukwumerije (PDP, Abia) said "we should upgrade the punishment for human trafficking to capital punishment. Equally to be joined are all the security personnel that are along the route where it take place. I don't believe that it is happening without the knowledge of the security agencies along the entry and exit points."
Also commenting, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (PDP, Borno South) said there is need for more punitive measures to end the menace saying "human trafficking is not only in terms of export. We have house boys and girls in the country that don't have any future. Most of them are not even up to the age specified by law. They work for so many years and all they get is commendation without any form of future."
On his part, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed (CPC, Kaduna North) expressed worry on the ugly dimension of human ritual to the crime of trafficking in persons. He revealed several instances of victims kidnapped and used for 'devil worship'.
After the debate, Senate directed its committee on judiciary, human rights and legal matters to carry out further legislative action on the matter and report back to the whole Senate.
Daniel Elombah
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Every Nigerian that has something important to say, says it on www.elombah.com
From: Ezeana Igirigi Achusim <igirigiachusim@aol.com>
To: "NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com" <NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: ||NaijaObserver|| Ekweremadu Denies Sponsoring Prostitution Bill
Nwanna:
If he actually sponsored such and is now denying it, is he fit to serve? I say no.
Sent from my iPhone
And I am
Ezeana Achusim
Nwanna putaba!Ekweremadu simply backs down out of public pressure.I de come...
Sent from my iPhoneIt is really sickening that folks could circulate on these forums pure fabrications that are aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the innocents.And I amEzeana AchusimSent from my iPhoneEkweremadu Denies Sponsoring Prostitution Bill
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu
From Kunle Akogun in AbujaDeputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has said he did not introduce any bill in the Senate seeking to legalise prostitution in the country.Ekweremadu made the clarification when the management and students of Baze University, Abuja, paid him a courtesy call at his National Assembly Complex office yesterday.He expressed regret that his contributions to a motion on human trafficking had been taken out of context, culminating in various media reports that he was sponsoring a bill to legalise prostitution in the country.He said human trafficking and prostitution remained grievous crimes against humanity and debased those that indulged in them."When you are talking about human trafficking, you are talking about children who are sold to go and serve as wards or house maids and women who are taken outside the country against their will or cajoled to go and prostitute for the gain of those who are taking them, while there are also others who are taken from one part of the country to another and forced into prostitution," Ekweremadu said.He advised those who engaged in such trades to have a rethink.The deputy senate president, who advised the students to shun all acts of immorality and be wary of human traffickers, who lured young women into their early graves, lamented that in the course of prostitution, people were kidnapped, murdered and suffer all kinds of humiliation."I condemn all forms of human trafficking, including prostitution, and as a Knight of the Church, definitely, I must condemn any act that is immoral, including prostitution, for this is not the way to live," he reiterated.He stressed the need to find an effective means of tracking and monitoring the activities of prostitutes and their sponsors in the country with a view to curtailing the menace.
Ekweremadu, who guided the students on the workings of the National Assembly and the business of legislation in Nigeria, explained that while the job of a legislator remained to speak for his constituents and indeed the nation, a lawmaker could sometimes be misunderstood, noting that such moments as the issue of an alleged bill by himself to legalise prostitution were part of the sacrifices of public service.
"We have a robust democracy in Nigeria where people are allowed to air their opinion on issues; we also have a robust and free media with the onerous task of cross-checking facts before disseminating information as this fosters democracy and hastens our development as a nation", he said.
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