Some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have lamented the failure of the NCS to pay them the  full special allowances promised them for border patrol duties.

This is despite claims by the Comptroller-General of the NCS, Hameed Ali, that the agency had been generating more than N5bn daily since the borders were  shut.

It was learnt that the NCS in August paid officers  special allowances for border patrol duties  based on their ranks.

It was learnt that Assistant Superintendents of Customs were paid about N380, 000 while lower ranks received about half of the sum.

However, in September, the allowances were slashed by about 80 per cent, causing disaffection among the officers.

A Customs officer, who spoke on condition of  anonymity,  said, “We were informed in August that all land borders would be shut and we would need to work overtime  and  that we would receive special allowances.

“The allowances would cover feeding, transport and other expenses. It was also done so that we would not yield to temptations. As a PSC, I was paid about N380,000 while lower ranks were paid around N200,000.

“The plan was that the borders would be shut for just one month for reasons best known to our CG, the  closure was extended without a proper planning. As a result, our allowances were slashed because there’s no money. I received just about N70, 000 last month.”

Another officer said he had to pay some of his men out of his own allowance.

He said if the authorities did  not take action, the men might fall into temptation.

The officer added, “Apart from customs, others involved in the operation include the Department of State Services, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Army and the police. However, the customs  are  the lead agency in this operation.

“There are over 100 illegal entry points around Idiroko alone. If Customs men do not give the needed direction to the others, the operation will fail. We call on the CG to make good his promise by paying us our allowances.”

Spokesman for the NCS, Mr Jerry Attah, refused to comment on the matter.

However, a senior officer said that the officers  would be paid their allowances.

He said, “There was not enough money to pay their allowances, but we decided to give them something. When money is released, the officers on border duties  would be paid their balance. Their pay was not slashed.”

A non-governmental organization, Save the Children, on Wednesday said that sexual assault referral centers in Kaduna State had received a total of 662 cases of abuse against women and children since inception in 2016.

The organisation also said out of the 25 rape cases received, children, were the most affected.

Isah Ibrahim, an advocacy advisor with the NGO made the disclosure in Zaria, during a two-day sensitization workshop on Violence Against Children.

The workshop was organized by the National Orientation Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund.

“Out of the 662 cases recorded, 373 were received at Gwamna Awan specialist hospital, Nasarawa, 104 received at Sir Patrick Yakowa memorial hospital, Kafanchan, 114 cases at Yusuf Dantsoho specialist hospital, Tudun Wada and 71 received at Gambo Sawaba hospital, Zaria,” he said.

He said the centers provided medical consultation on individual cases and assisted with psychosocial management of the family while in crisis.

Ibrahim mentioned some major flashpoints of child abuse in Kaduna metropolis which include Tudun wada, Kakuri, Gonin Gora, Rigasa, Rigachikun, Sabon tasha, Nasarawa, Romi among others.

He, however, noted that the centers were faced with challenges of weak implementation of policies and limited working time, urging the state government to ensure proper implementation of the Child Right Act.

On her part, the centre manager of Salama sexual assault referral center, Kafanchan, Mrs Grace Yohanna, said the centre provided medical intervention and optional legal intervention for victims of abuse.

She stated that females were mostly affected in terms of abuse with 94 cases out of the 104 cases received at the centre.

“We have 79 cases of emotional abuse and 25 cases of rape; children were most affected in the rape case.

“That is why we want everybody in the community to be part of the war against all forms of violence against children; let’s be our neighbors keepers and report any case of abuse to the nearest center,” she said.

Yohanna who commended the government for providing such centers that support survivors of rape and other sexual abuse stated that the center needed more drugs.

She appealed to members of the public to speak up and report any case of abuse whether physical, sexual or emotional.

(NAN)

The University of Lagos, Akoka, has suspended another lecturer, Dr Samuel Oladipo, of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, after he was also indicted in a sexual harassment documentary produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

This is just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; wife of the President, Aisha Buhari; and the Academic Staff Union of Universities called for the prosecution of the lecturers indicted in the documentary, while calling for the cleansing of the system.

The BBC had produced a documentary exposing four lecturers – two from UNILAG and two from the University of Ghana, Legon – for allegedly harassing undercover reporters, who posed as students in need of help.

The release of the footage had drawn outrage from many Nigerians, who demanded that justice be served.

At an emergency management meeting on Monday, UNILAG suspended one of the lecturers featured in the documentary, Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, of the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies, Faculty of Arts.

The Principal Assistant Registrar, Communication Unit, UNILAG, Taiwo Oloyede, told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday that the second lecturer in the documentary, Oladipupo, had also been suspended.

Gbajabiamila, while reacting to the scandal in a series of tweets, lamented the damage caused by sexual assaults to young people.

He tweeted, “The revelations in the @BBCAfrica #SexForGrades documentary bring to the fore (the) despicable practices that have victimised too many young people, denied them their sense of self-worth and left them with psychological wounds that often never heal.

“These revelations call for a moment of reckoning, not only for those lecturers, whose abuse of their positions and the trust of their students have been caught on tape, but (also) those who are still hiding in the shadows.

“Our higher institutions, where this culture of abuse has been allowed to thrive, must also acknowledge their responsibility and act to put an end to these shameful practices. We owe our children that much.”

The wife of the President, who was represented by Aisha Rimi during the BBC Africa Eye undercover documentary screening in Lagos, said sexual predators must not go unpunished.

“I assure you of the necessary assistance required of me to ensure that victims, who are sexually harassed, get justice and will be able to speak for themselves,” she said.

The wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Bisi Fayemi, said she was also a victim of sexual harassment in her university days.

She stated, “While watching the BBC Africa Eye undercover investigation, I didn’t know if I was crying or laughing. I cried for the young girls, who are going through situations like this but can’t speak out.

“I think it is time to speak out and we should also support victims of these atrocities. We need to make these sexual predators to face justice.”

The governor’s wife urged schools and states to come up with registers for all sexual offenders for record purposes.

ASUU, on its part, called for a thorough investigation and appropriate sanctions for lecturers indicted in the documentary in order to sanitise the university system.

The UNILAG ASUU Chairman, Dr Dele Ashiru, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday that the union was against all forms of unethical practices, including sexual harassment.

Ashiru stated, “The development is very disturbing and unfortunate. We have appealed to our colleagues to understand that as lecturers, we stand in loco parentis (in the place of parents) to these students and must not be perceived in any way as not protective.

“We condemn this act of shame in its entirety and want the matter to be thoroughly investigated and appropriate sanctions meted out to all those found culpable.”

Meanwhile, there was panic on Tuesday over Igbeneghu’s health condition as he was rumoured to have been rushed to hospital late on Monday.

The embattled lecturer and pastor, who was also suspended by the Foursquare Gospel Church, was alleged to have attempted suicide.

The university’s spokesperson, Oloyede, said she had yet to confirm the rumour and promised to call back but had yet to do so as of press time.

Nigeria is competing with 92 other countries for the 2020 Oscars Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film, the organisers said on their official website, Oscars.org.

Screen diva Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut, ‘Lion Heart’, is the Nigerian selection for the 2020 Oscars in that category.

The movie was premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired on September 7, 2018, as first Netflix original film produced in Nigeria.

Since the inauguration of Nigeria Oscars Selection Committee in 2014, this is the first time Nigeria is advancing a film to the Oscars as\previous entries did not meet basic criteria.

‘Lion Heart’ is a 2018 Nigerian drama film that featured some Nigerian movie icons like Pete Edochie, Nnaji, Nkem Owoh, and music icon, Onyeka Onwenu.

The Oscars Academy announced the full list of eligible films and countries on Monday, with Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan competing for the first time in the category, which was previously known as the best foreign-language film category.

High-profile entries include South Korea’s ‘Parasite,’ Bong Joon Ho’s black comedy which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival; Spain’s ‘Pain and Glory’ from Pedro Almodovar.

Japan’s ‘Weathering With You,’ the country’s first animated entry since ‘Princess Mononoke’, and Senegal’s ‘Atlantics’ from director Mati Diop, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes made the list.

Also, France’s ‘Les Miserables’; the UK’s ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,’ from Chiwetel Ejiofor; and Norway’s ‘Out Stealing Horses,’ starring Stellan Skarsgard are in the category.

The previous high for submissions was 92 in 2017 and a total of 87 films were submitted in 2018.

The shortlist of 10 films will be announced on December 16, while the nominations for the 92nd Oscars will be announced on January 13, 2020.

(NAN)

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has said that his daughter, who was appointed as Special Assistant to the Governor on Girl Child, deserved the appointment.

He said this on Tuesday in Asaba, while addressing the issue of appointments into his cabinet for his second term in office.

Okowa said that contrary to the rumours that he had appointed two of his daughters, he had only appointed one of his daughters into his cabinet and that she deserved for the position.

He said, “I want state residents to know that I did not appoint two of my daughters. Only one was appointed as S.A. to Governor on Girl Child and she rightly deserved it.”

Okowa added, “We are trying to cut down our appointees this time around, obviously the number of appointees will be less than what we have in my first tenure.”

Thousands of Iranian women fans are to attend a football match freely Thursday for the first time in decades after FIFA threatened to suspend the country over its controversial male-only policy.

The Islamic republic has barred female spectators from football and other stadiums for around 40 years, with clerics arguing they must be shielded from the masculine atmosphere and sight of semi-clad men.

World football’s governing body FIFA ordered Iran last month to allow women access to stadiums without restriction and in numbers determined by the demand for tickets.

The directive came after a fan dubbed “Blue Girl” died after setting herself on fire in fear of being jailed for dressing up as a boy to attend a match.

Women were quick to get their hands on tickets to attend Iran’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Cambodia at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Thursday.

The first batch sold out in less than an hour, and additional seats were also snapped up in short order, state media said.

The sports ministry said the 100,000-capacity stadium — whose name means “Freedom” in Farsi — was ready to host even more women.

One of the 3,500 women to have secured a ticket was Raha Poorbakhsh, a football journalist.

“I still can’t believe this is going to happen because after all these years of working in this field, watching everything on television, now I can experience everything in person,” she told AFP.

– ‘Blue girl’ –
But Poorbakhsh said she was aware of many other women without tickets.

There have been rare occasions in recent years when Iranian women have been allowed to watch matches, but this time they were free to buy their own tickets, albeit a set number.

Using the hashtag #WakeUpFifa, women have taken to social media to demand more tickets.

While women have already taken up their entire allocation, only 2,500 men have so far purchased electronic tickets for the more than 70,000 seats available to them, the ISNA news agency reported.

Those lucky enough to attend will be segregated from men and watched over by 150 female police officers.

People on the streets of Tehran said they supported the decision to allow women into stadiums.

“I would like there to be freedom for women, as men, to go free and even sit side by side without any restrictions, like other countries,” said a woman who gave her name only as Hasti.

Nader Fathi, who runs a clothing business, said the presence of women could improve the atmosphere in stadiums.

But he said “they will regret it” if they are exposed to “really bad swear words” and “bad behaviour”.

The bumpy road Iranian women have travelled in order to gain free access to stadiums has not been without tragedy.

Sahar Khodayari died last month after setting herself ablaze outside a court in fear of being jailed for attending a match.

Dubbed “blue girl” because of the colours of the club she supported — Tehran giants Esteghlal FC — she had reportedly been detained last year when trying to enter a stadium dressed as a boy.

Her death sparked an outcry, with many calling for Iran to be banned and matches boycotted.

The judiciary dismissed reports she had been told she would be jailed, and Khodayari’s father said she did not “sacrifice” herself for any cause.

– Shadow of FIFA –
Ahead of Qatar 2022, FIFA has pressed Iran to allow women to attend qualifiers.

But Iran denied its decision to allow women into Thursday’s match was a result of “foreign pressure”.

“The presence of #women in stadiums is due to the internal social demands and government’s support of those demands,” government spokesman Ali Rabiei tweeted.

The ban on women in stadiums is not written into law or regulations, but it has been strictly enforced.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, women have only had rare access to stadiums in Iran.

About 20 Irish women attended a World Cup qualifier in 2001, and four years later a few dozen Iranian women watched the national team take on Bahrain.

In October, as many as 100 “handpicked” Iranian women watched a friendly against Bolivia.

The day after, the prosecutor general warned there would be no repeat, saying it would “lead to sin”.

Then in November, a select group of about 850 women attended a match between Esteghlal’s Tehran rivals, Persepolis FC, and Japan’s Kashima Antlers.

The issue continues to be deeply divisive in Iran.

Reformists have welcomed the latest move, but conservatives have come out strongly against it.

The Donya-e-Eqtesad financial newspaper called it “a step to weaken a taboo and also free Iran’s football of the looming shadow of FIFA’s punishment”.

But the ultra-conservative Kayhan daily said women were more concerned about economic issues.

(AFP)

The President of Tanzania, John Magufuli has charged local chiefs to take action against men who impregnated no fewer than 229 school girls in the south-western region of Rukwa.

Reacting to the development, Magufuli who was shocked that no action has been taken against the men said the rate of pregnancy in the region is shocking.

“The government is providing free education and these men are busy making girls pregnant. Why has no action been taken against these men?,” he said during a visit to the region on Tuesday.

He advised schoolgirls to reject seduction from men who want to distract them from pursuing their education:

“If they tell you that you are beautiful, tell them to go tell their mothers. Don’t be afraid of being tough. You are the leaders of tomorrow and I want you to focus on your studies”, Mr Magufuli said.

“The rate of pregnancy in this region [Rukwa] is shocking, and I had expected the 229 men who made the girls pregnant to be jailed, but I doubt any action has been taken,” he added.

The president placed the blame on local government leaders and religious authorities for failing in their role.

Let me start by saying that I am the butt of attack from my very good friends because of a broadcast I sent out following the breaking of this story. So I watched the BBC documentary about the sexual harassment that has by this video confirmed the epidemic that has spread like uncontrolled ebola throughout society not only the universities.

My position as always was misconstrued. I had railed against the growing penchant of resorting to self help as a result of our seeming lack of faith in the institutions saddled with the responsibility of ensuring sanity and law and order in the system. Today, the judicial process is painfully slow, expensive and habitually not there for majority of the people. Seeking justice in our society is worse than getting the proverbial camel to pass through the eye of that needle. So as a result, people would rather go through these kinds of routes to seek justice.

Now for me, I am looking at the long-term effect of all of these on society and not just the immediate glorification of a shortened route to success. We stare very clearly at anarchy with the attendant destruction of societal values as we grope ourselves towards instantaneous justice.

That systems and institutions have collapsed leading to a huge lack of confidence in their ability to serve and protect cannot be debated. But in search of the same fortitude, our jump into the jungles of arbitrariness would only lead to a worse consequence. Today we are now a country of short cuts. So, we cannot stop smuggling, we close the border. We cannot effectively address the xenophobic attacks, we say ‘when in Rome….. we cannot get justice from statutory rape, we rush to social media. We cannot get an errant tenant out of the house, we remove the roof.

This case in particular grates at the collective sensibility of all. Lecturers are now considered a major grouping that should be in the sex pervert register. We have been told that this wahala is prevalent across all campuses and as if this is not enough, a cabal of protection has been built around violators to protect them from justice. I have even been reliably informed that the Chairman of the Committee in one of these universities saddled with the task of addressing sexual harassment issues is a pervert himself. Well, so does this justify the self help measures of getting journalists and actresses to risk their sanity through dangerous ‘sting jobs’ in throwing up these issue before the establishment can react.

The fault is in all of us. The apparent destruction of our value and institutions lies in our own very hands. We all think that since we are not sexual predators, we are innocent. If you have ever driven ‘one way’, bribed to have your child who did not get cut off mark gain admission, bribe to change NYSC service station, jump queue and even vote Big Brother where all sort of lascivious sexual acts are condoned and encouraged, then you are also a big part of the problem.

It is very easy for us to jump on the platform of piety and shout, Pastorrrrrrrrrrr – he raped lynch him on social media. So, the lecturer she harassed should commit suicide forgetting that in our own way we are as ‘useless’ as they are. In Nigeria its now a case of every dog eating ‘shit’ but only the one caught is the culprit.

So, the First Lady who is always very quick to jump at issues like this to curry public adulation has come out that she was sexually harassed at Unilag when she was a student but felt that it was brilliant to keep quiet until this scandal. Why didn’t she use her powers and authority to fight for the cleansing of this malaise long after she left and had acquired the enviable status of the First lady. Instead, fresh from her scandal with the university students in her enclave she too has jumped on the moral high ground and shouted through her owambe gele that she was harassed. Big lie.

My people, let us work together in building a virile society. This one is not Buhari. Everybody must be ready to do the right things at all times. Let’s build a nation where rules and laws are respected and where everybody is equal in the eye of the law and where justice can be procured efficiently and at ease because you will not want to fathom the alternative. For now it’s a jungle.