Until a few months ago, the name Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim hardly rang a bell in the ears of many politically conscious Nigerians, but in just 18 months, the Jos-born politician is now a known public figure, having been saddled with handling two of the most difficult jobs at the federal level.
It all began on December 1, 2021 when presidential spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu through a terse statement announced the President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of
Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim as the new Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
That began what turned out to be a five- month stint at the helm of the agency saddled with the responsibility of checking the Nigerian end of the global menace of human trafficking.
In no time, the University of Abuja-trained sociologist set to work and soon recorded successes that remained testimonies to her preparedness for public service
Between January 2021 and May 27, 2021 that she was handed what many see as a huge task, NAPTIP under Hajia Imaan’s watch became better equipped for the security/intelligence aspect of the job of curbing human trafficking.
This was after the agency secured over 120 slots for Basic Intelligence and Law Enforcement Training from the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), among others, for its staff.
NAPTIP began to place close attention to strategic partnership, joint law enforcement operations and intelligence sharing.
So, not surprising in the period under review, there was an upward surge in the number of suspects arrested – 264 persons of interest were nabbed and 429 victims rescued in addition to the conviction of 21 people.
The figure of high profile cases under investigation moved up to six while 181 cases were filed in court. Also, about 2,422 Nigerians were repatriated from countries like Libya, Ghana, UAE, Mali, Niger, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
It was against this backdrop that, Suleiman-Ibrahim spoke glowingly about the place of intelligence gathering and synergy between and among relevant government agencies.
Hear her: “Our data as far as the fight against human trafficking is concerned are all over the place so, it is a commitment for us to have it all in one place for posterity referencing.
“We have the political will to take this fight beyond where it is and we are going to take full advantage of that.”
“We need all the support we can get in that area. We are going to review our multilateral and bilateral agreements to ensure that its value is for both parties and everyone involved”.
But few months into the job at NAPTIP, it was time for Hajia Suleiman-Ibrahim to move after President Buhari considered her good enough for another national assignment, this time to head the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs (NCFRMI). And so on June 4, 2021, she assumed duty as the federal commissioner and immediately hit the ground running, just like at her previous duty post.
One of the first tasks she took up was the development of a strategic framework in a federal agency saddled with the responsibility for providing protection and support for IDPs, migrants, Refugees, Stateless Persons and Returnees otherwise known as Persons of Concern in the lexicon of humanitarian service.
On her watch, the refugee commission is gradually moving from being an agency that only feeds and houses this category of people to one that prepares them for a better future through a well thought out partnership with public and private sector players.
Known as Project Skill Up, it is almost certain to be one of the major legacies of Hajia Imaan at the commission. It is geared towards training Persons of Concern in different skills including, but not limited to, shoe-making, welding, tailoring, catering, tilling, videography, graphics, website design, carpentry, hairdressing and barbering.
At the end of the skill acquisition programme, each individual would be handed starter kits to empower them to become self-reliant.
This public service amazon took the project a notch up recently by sealing an agreement with INNOSON motors to train 100 persons of concern for at least one year in automobile engineering.
According to her, after the one-year training, they can choose to either work for the automobile company or open their own outfits or shops.
There is a similar arrangement with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) which would see 10,000 individuals from the IDP community being trained in Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills.
These are some of the initiatives that NCRFMI under the leadership of Hajia Suleiman-Ibrahim has used to raised the profile of a once moribund agency.
And lest I forget, there is an ongoing plan to turn IDP camps in the country into cities under a programme called ‘Project Resettlement City’.
Already,the pilot phase has begun in locations like Maiduguri, Kano, and Katsina and she recently told a gathering in Abuja that the agency is about to begin the second phase in Zamfara, Edo, and Nasarawa states.
In the midst of all these, the agency is taking staff welfare serious especially as a well motivated workforce is crucial to ensuring the realization of all the projects outlined in its strategy document. So aside from adequate remuneration, the commission has expanded the scope of training opportunities and capacity development programmes for staff.
These are just a few of the initiatives and projects that Suleiman-Ibrahim has brought into public service across two agencies in such a short time that makes it easier for her to be seen as a rising star in public service and has spurred comparison with another great female icon, Dora Akunyili
Okubanjo writes from Abuja via [email protected]
