Lebanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Houssam Diab, has said that most Nigerian girls in Lebanon were not trafficked from Nigeria to Lebabon but came into Lebanon legally.
Diab said this during a visit to Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja. He added that that the Nigerian ladies who cried out for help from Lebanon recently voiced out because their employees could no longer pay them as a result of the recent economic problem.
He stressed further that the temporal suspension of the issuance of visas to domestic workers has not helped the situation.
The Ambassador said: “As of May 1, the Lebanese government has stopped issuing visas for domestic workers coming from Nigeria.
“This will definitely stop any new cases from arising; they will not be able to get into Lebanon, the specificity for the issue at Lebanon is that all these girls are entering into Lebanon legally.
“There is no human trafficking illegally into Lebanon.
“About 90 per cent of the agencies involved in it are Nigerian agencies and they apply through Lebanese agencies in Lebanon through the security general to acquire work visas and work permits for the ladies.
“This is how it is; so by stopping the issuing of the visas, we would have stopped new cases from arising.”
Diab disclosed further that the government of Lebanon and the Nigerian government has so far evacuated no fewer than 500 Nigerian ladies from Lebanon with 200 other ladies more to be evacuated as soon as possible. He added that about 5,000 Nigerians are living in Lebanon and most of them are gainfully employed.
