Tuesday briefing: A rape case goes sour
What you need to know.
Good morning.
Well, today I’m paying attention to an attempted rape case in Ogun state, the politics behind the federal government’s 774,000 jobs scheme and an uplifting wedding ceremony in the Chinese city of Shanghai.
A rape case goes sour
After claiming that a Commissioner for Environment in Ogun attempted to rape her, 16-year-old Barakat Mayowa has asked “Nigerians to please allow this matter to rest.”
Barakat’s appeal came hours after the Ogun state government suspended Commissioner Abiodun Abudu-Balogun over the claims.
Barakat’s father, Adesola Melojuekun, also said he was no longer interested in pursuing the allegation levelled against Abudu-Balogun by his daughter. “I don’t have interest in this matter again,” he said on Monday.
However, the police have insisted that it will continue its investigation into the allegations.
Quote: “The father of the victim has no locus standi to tell the police that he is no longer pressing charges against the commissioner, because he is not the complainant to us,” Police spokesperson Abimbola Oyeyemi said. “He is not the person who was directly involved in the case. The victim is his daughter and even the daughter herself cannot withdraw the complaint, because she is underage. Secondly, the case is an offence allegedly committed against the state, so they are no longer complainants; it is the Commissioner of Police versus the suspect.”
Context: Sexual violence is rife in Nigeria. According to UNICEF, one in four girls have been sexually molested before the age of 18. But conviction rates for offenders are very low due to a multitude of factors including a preference for out-of-court settlements.
No lockdown for the second wave
The federal government has no immediate plans to lock down the national economy again despite the persistent rise of Covid cases in the country, according to Minister for Information and member of the Presidential task force on Covid, Lai Mohammed.
But the government is worried about the non-compliance of Nigerians to Covid health guidelines such as social distancing and wearing of face-masks.
NCDC: The country hit a new daily record after the disease control agency reported 1,204 new cases and seven deaths on Monday.
Lagos: Schools, both private and public, in the dense state have been directed to resume on January 18 despite the rise in cases.
Related: The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) said it has commenced the enforcement of travel restriction order on 100 passengers who violated the federal government’s Covid protocol.
Britain: Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a fresh, more comprehensive lockdown as Covid cases continue to rise. The new measures include the closure of primary and secondary schools.
Kenya: After nine months of hunkering down over Covid, the East African nation finally reopened schools.
774,000 jobs. So what?
The federal government is set to commence its Special Public Works Programme today, according to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.
The programme was approved in October 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari. It is designed to employ 1,000 persons from each of the 774 local government areas of the country for temporary employment during the dry season and as the country battles with a raging pandemic.
Participants are to be paid an allowance of N20,000 monthly and are to be recruited largely from the pool of unskilled persons resident in rural areas.
It was previously set to launch on October 1, 2020, (then November) but Keyamo, the Nigeria Directorate of Employment (NDE) and members of the House of Representatives (the Senate too) bickered over the composition of the selection committee, misappropriation of funds and control of the programme among other issues.
On December 8, President Buhari sacked the NDE chief, Nasiru Argungu, who is believed to have sided with the lawmakers in the matter.
Then the House of Representatives, on December 15, asked the federal government to suspend the scheme and reinstate Argungu.
As the scheme commences today on Keyamo’s instruction, some of its key stakeholders still do not know what to expect.
Quote: “There is no direction, no instruction yet,” Chairman of the Scheme in Ogun state, Senator Gbenga Obadara, said. “They are just running the adverts. How it is going to happen and when it is going to happen; I don’t know as the chairman.”
What else is happening?
Wole Soyinka: The Nobel laureate is enjoying the newly launched Lagos-Ibadan rail service. But he doesn’t want to talk about the Buhari administration. “I think it is best for my sanity just to avoid that overall question,” he said. “I can take bits and pieces of Nigeria’s present predicament but I think for one’s sense of balance, one must forget the existence of the Buhari administration.”
Atiku Abubakar: The former Vice President said he exited a company he co-founded, Integrated Logistics Services because the Buhari administration has destroyed the economy.
Sowore: A magistrate court in Abuja remanded the Publisher of Sahara Reporters in prison till today when his bail application will be heard. After his arrest on New Year’s Eve, Sowore is being arraigned, alongside four others, on three charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and attempting to incite others.
In remembrance: Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe died on Sunday from Covid complications. He will be remembered as a brilliant Mathematician, Engineer, Educationist and Public administrator.
Google: The tech giant’s workers are set to form its first labour union. The BBC described it as a “rare development” for an American tech behemoth.
Love United: A fire brigade in the Chinese city of Shanghai on Monday held a group wedding for four firefighter couples (picture above), whose weddings were postponed as a result of their service in the fight against Covid.
Tanya Roberts: The actress, known for starring opposite Roger Moore in his final turn as James Bond and for her roles in “Charlie’s Angels” and “That ’70s Show,” is still alive. Her publicist had earlier on Monday erroneously announced her death.
And that’s it for today. Thank you for starting your day with me. See you again tomorrow. And, wait, don’t forget to share this with at least one friend.