CORONA VIRUS: PRESIDENT BUHARI ADRESSES THE NATION

                                                                                       

 President  Mohamadu Buhari in his  official twitter handle  has addressed the coronavirus outbreak in Nigeria. ..

CHILD TRAFFICKING: PARENTS PRESSURE CHILDREN TO BE TRAFFICKED

                                                                           

The Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) in a chat with ABIODUN ADESOGA speaks on children trafficking and the enormous pressure some parents place on their children.

Why did you convene a stakeholders’ meeting on human trafficking?
It is simply because we noticed increasing cases of children being trafficked and abused in Nigeria. Since December 2019, we have seen two cases of children being abused. One of the cases was in Lagos State, where a child was locked up in a dog’s cage. The second case was that of a woman, who ruthlessly flung a minor on the ground. These are consequences of child trafficking. Most of these children are not related to them. These children are treated like they are not human beings.
Above all, there was the trending cases of two women trafficked to Lebanon and other countries. We have had cases of young people trafficked to places like Malaysia for their organs to be harvested. So we thought that this had become a problem and that we needed to bring to a fore and understand what the law enforcement agencies are doing about them. Issues that have to do with human trafficking are becoming epidemic. NAPTIP told us that since inception of the agency, it had achieved over 400 prosecutions across the state and 80 in Lagos State. This did not reflect compared with the trend. It shows that not much is being achieved. NAPTIP needs to do and it’s obvious they need government support. The experience I had from NAPTIP is that it has showed more commitment to work than the police. The police, even though it has its mandate to deal with the issues of child trafficking are not diligent. They see every case as an opportunity to make money than to solve crime.

Do you think corruption in police is militating against human trafficking war?
I have seen a case where someone gave a child to someone and later wanted to collect the child, but the person that collected the child refused to return it. The owner of the child went to lodge a complaint with the police, but rather than handle the case diligently, they collected money from the suspect. That sort of behaviour discourages people from going to the police to make complaints. Police are not having in the fight against trafficking, rather they are complicating things. I, however, think that NAPTIP seriously needs to be empowered since it is the agency saddled with the responsibility of dealing with issues of child trafficking.

What is your reaction to allegations that policemen used to storm brothels, arrest underage girls, collect money from them and released them?
But you know that it’s not a new story. The research we did in 2006 about police abuse and a senior police officer in Lagos State told us that they like night patrol because it provides them opportunity to meet prostitutes. He said that arresting the ladies and raping them were the fringe benefits attached to night patrol. When you hear that policemen go to brothels, they didn’t go there to check crimes, but to commit crimes. It is also an opportunity to make money.

What can you say about family values in respect to human trafficking?
The question of family value is a legitimate question. But a bigger question is the area of economy. Many of these girls who offer themselves to be trafficked are put under pressure by their families. You see, when there are no jobs and level of poverty is increasing, there’s no hope. For me, government first needs to provide jobs for people, so that families wouldn’t be under pressures to send their children to become house helps or sent outside the countries. Most parents know that there are going outside Nigeria to prostitute, but what can they do?

Don’t you think that parents who pressured their children into going into prostitution should be dealt with?
It’s not easy to prosecute ones parents. How many children would want to stand as witnesses against their parents, to ensure they go to prison for trafficking? Ultimately, the root cause of all these issues is socio-economic. If you deal with the socio-economic, which is poverty and unemployment, lack of education, having too many children, then human trafficking will be curtailed.  In those days when there were jobs, people even give birth to as many children.

SOURCE

WAEC POSTPONES EXAMINATION OVER CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19)

                                                                           

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria has postponed the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, 2020, until further notice. 

A statement released by the council’s Head of National Office in Nigeria, Patrick Areghan, on Friday March 20th, said the decision was as a result of the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the “serious implications” .
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“This decision is a demonstration of the organisation’s concern and support for the various protocols being put in place by the Federal and State Governments of Nigeria and the governments of the other member countries to check the spread of the disease,” the statement in part read

CORONA VIRUS; FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NAMED 15 COUNTRIES AS HIGH RISK

                                                                               

                                                                                


    The Federal Government on Wednesday March 18th, announced the restriction of travelers from 13 countries identified as high risk countries with over 1000 recorded cases of Coronavirus. They are  China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, United States of America, Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands & Switzerland.meanwhile, Sweden and Austria was adde to the list of high-risk countries

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made the announcement at a media briefing on Friday in Abuja.

    “We have identified two more high risks countries – Austria and Sweden which were added in the past 24 hours to the list,” Ehanire said.

BEN MURRAY-BRUCE LOSES WIFE TO CANCER (PHOTOS)

                                                                            

Chairman of Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce,  has lost his wife Evelyn Murray-Bruce to cancer. 

Ben Murray-Bruce who shared photos which captured beautiful memories he created with his wife, stated that she will remain alive in his heart forever.
He wrote;

    I’m broken. Just lost my beautiful wife to cancer. She was my best friend for 43 years and my wife for 41 years. Cancer is real, but it shouldn’t be a death sentence - awareness, and early detection and treatment are key to survival. I miss her so so much. I’m broken.

    Our children are devastated, I am too. But I have to be strong for them. Please put our family in your prayers. Like the sun, my wife was a blessing and touched the lives of everyone she met. Though she’s gone, she’d remain alive in our hearts forever.

    I miss you, my sweetheart, and my most beautiful girl, Evelyn Murray-Bruce. Forever yours.

 

CORONA GREETINGS: WIKE ANG FASH WAY

                                                                                     

Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike and the minister for works and housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola have both shown a life of example COVID-19 greeting.... smiling up as their elbows meet to avoid the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.

MEN CAN'T TAKE THEIR EYES OFF MY BUTT~ MOTUNRAYOTOHSET

                                                                            

Yoruba actress / film producer, Motunrayo Oluwakemi aka“Motunrayotohset” has opened up on how men can’t take their eyes off her big butt.

Motunrayo, who was once in a hot romance with fuji star Wasiu Alabi, popularly known as Pasuma; in an interview with The Sun, shared her experiences with men.

 “Sometime ago, I was in Dubai and one of my fans got to know about it. He then sent me a message on social media, asking me to name my price. I was furious and asked him what he meant by that. He said I should understand what he meant, that he wanted to send me some money to come over and spend some time with him, I blocked him immediately. I am busty but then I know the only thing my male fans like about me is my butts. They can’t just get their eyes off it.”  She said

“To me, love means knowing that no matter what, you have someone to count on. It’s unconditional and makes you feel good on the inside. You can trust the person you love and you are comfortable around them. It’s like your heart tells you that it is good for you. Love never hurts nor makes you cry your eyes out. Love is selfless and unconditional. It means putting somebody else’s wants, needs and goals before yours, and never letting them lose sight of it.” She added.