Beatrice Jedy-Agba is a Nigerian
lawyer and anti-human trafficking advocate. She is the first Nigerian to be honored by the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...
with the Trafficking in Persons Heroes Award 2014.
She was
Director-General
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a governmen ...
of National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) between 2011 and 2016.
Family
Jedy-Agba was born to the family of Dr.& Mrs. Eigbefoh; and the second
child and first daughter to the family of 6 children.
She hails from Edo State, Nigeria.
Early life and education
She attended Bola Memorial Primary School
Ikeja
Ikeja is the capital city of Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria. Its population, as of the 2006 census, is 313,196. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, clean and quiet residential and commercia ...
between 1975 and 1980 and
Federal Government Girls College Bida,
Niger State
Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was ...
between 1980 and 1985. The young Beatrice had a passion to stand for the rights of those who are abused, and this made her to be interested in law.
She holds a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in law from
Bendel State University, now known as Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma in 1989, from where she attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and was subsequently called to Bar in 1990. She did her mandatory National Youth Service Corps at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Career
She began her career at the
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is a federal law enforcement agency in Nigeria under the Federal Ministry of Justice charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting, and trafficking of hard d ...
in 1992, an agency where she did her mandatory NYSC. In 2004 she transferred her service to the Federal Ministry of Justice where she served as Chief State Counsel in the International and Comparative Law Department and as Legal Adviser to National Boundary Commission. She was subsequently appointed Special Assistant to
Mohammed Bello Adoke, the
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Her commitment and passion led to her appointment by President Goodluck Jonathan, as the Executive Secretary of National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).
Following the amendment of the NAPTIP Act, her designation was changed to Director-General, which made her the first female Director-General of the agency. She is currently the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at Federal Ministry of Justice.
In 2022,she was appointed as the solicitor-general of federation by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Achievements
Beatrice Jedy-Agba made a tremendous impact while at National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons(NAPTIP). She:
* Restructured NAPTIP to be among the top performing anti-human trafficking agency in the world.
* Strengthened inter-agency collaboration on the issue of trafficking in persons
*Increased awareness nationally on the scourge of human trafficking
* Strengthened partnership/cooperation with international organizations including United Nations and European Union.
*Strengthened institutional framework for combating Human trafficking in Nigeria
*Developed a strategic plan for the agency and improved
* Developed a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) on human trafficking
These earned her 2014 Trafficking in Persons Hero Award by U.S Department of State. She was described by
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
as a courageous Nigerian woman who has devoted her lives work to combating human trafficking.
Awards
*Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)
*Presidential Commendation on the work on improving anti-trafficking in Nigeria
* 2014 Trafficking in Persons Hero
References
External links
TIP Heroes Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jedy-Agba, Beatrice
Living people
Nigerian activists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Edo people