07042018 - Investigate your ministers

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 7, , 2018
BY SOLA OGUNDIPE
Sex between any family members
that are too closely related to
marry is considered incest. Sex
with a close relative such as one’s parent,
child, or sibling (even in-laws), is widely
considered depraved, detrimental and
stigmatising for any offspring from such
a union.
Incest may also refer to sexual
intercourse between family members who
are not blood-related, such as stepsiblings
or cousins by marriage.
A social taboo, incest is unethical and
criminal. It readily sparks strong
negative emotions in many cultures, yet
sex between parents and their offspring,
among siblings and between other blood
relations occurs quite regularly.
Close study of the bible around
incestuous relationships is a revelation.
One of the most popular biblical stories
of incestuous father-daughter
relationship is told in Genesis 19 about
Lot’s daughters that seduced their father
and bore him sons – Moab (Hebrew for
“from the father”), and Ben-Ammi (Son
of my people).
Nowadays, incest is becoming
commonplace that ever before, but it is
still aberration. Records of close-kin
marriages – between fathers and
daughters and between siblings – abound
over the course of history, but this has not
been enough to legitimise the act because
scientific, medical, theological, ethical,
social, economic and legal concerns
persist.
Numerous controversial incest cases
have made the rounds in recent times, but
whether it is consensual or not, familial
sexual relationships remain illegal, even
criminal, both within social and cultural
context.
There are concerns in some circles that
incest is largely underreported, and many
reports of incest have been written off as
fabricated even as stigma surrounding
INCEST: Greatest
taboo flourishing
Medical experts speak
incest is partially responsible for
reluctance of victims to report cases.
Some victims may not report because of
threats, embarrassment or shame.
In Nigeria and many parts of the world,
incest is a form of sexual abuse, says Dr
Princess Olufemi-Kayode, an expert in
child sexual abuse and other forms of sex
crimes and sexual violence. Common
reasons a man would want to have sex
with his biological daughter ranges from
sex addiction, occult fetishes either for
power, wealth or longevity and
psychological issues.
She argues that incest should attract
criminal penalty, pointing out that several
fathers that engage in exploitative incest
committed against their own children
have been brought to book.
Dr. LeslieBeth Wish, a social worker
based in Sarasota, Florida, notes that
childhood sexual abuse could include
mother-child incest, but records show more
men commit child-family member sexual
abuse.
Wish, author of Incest, “Work and
Women: Understanding the Consequences
of Incest on Women’s Careers, Work and
Dreams,” however noted that the most
frequent male family offenders are stepfathers,
fathers, uncles and grandfathers.
Wish says warning signs of incest may
include sudden or increased physical
contact that might pass as acceptable with
a family member, or even blatantly sexual.
“Childhood sexual abuse can include
fondling of breasts, rubbing up and down
against a child and sexual comments.
Children often have a good sense that
something is wrong, but they may not tell
anyone about these sexual experiences.
“When a family member abuses a child
sexually, the abuse is not solely about sex.
Offenders are often looking for comfort,
closeness and approval from someone
whom, in the mind of the offender, offers
an opportunity for unconditional love.
The closeness and need for comfort can
rapidly become sexualized. Many
offenders are, however, also looking for
sexual gratification, power and control,
Wish explains further.”
Roughly 1 in 25 women will experience
some kind of sexual abuse by age 18. For
men, the numbers are about 1 in 7or 8.
Since sexual abuse carries such a high
degree of shame, it’s highly likely that
clients will not mention it.
Long-term effects of incest include
suicide attempts, depression, substance
abuse, fear of emotional and sexual
intimacy, promiscuity, prostitution and
runaways, lack of career identity, inability
to function at work, among others.
PENGASSAN Applause for Baru
The Petroleum and Natural Gas
Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
(PENGASSAN) has felicitated with the
Group Managing Director of the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr.
Maikanti Baru, on his recent conferment of award
as the 2018 NewsDirect Man of the Year.
In a congratulatory message signed by
Comrades Francis Johnson and Lumumba
Okugbawa, President and General Secretary,
respectively of PENGASSAN, the association
described the award as another landmark on Dr.
Baru’s much decorated cap.
“It is a sterling acknowledgement of your
unmatchable industry and experience,
impeccable character and capacity as an astute
manager of men and resources to achieve set goals
and objectives,’’ the statement read.
The association commended the NNPC GMD
for dedicating the award to the tireless and ever
A Charge to Action
The Group Managing Director of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has challenged
the consultant to the National Assembly on
Petroleum Industry Reform Bill to take a
comprehensive look at the issues in the oil
and gas sector and make bold
recommendations that could engender
enduring reforms.
The GMD gave the charge today at a
consultative meeting with the consultants
to the National Assembly led by the lead
consultant and former Director of the
Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR),
Mr. Osteen Olorunsola.
He said with the passage of the Petroleum
Industry Governance Bill which deals with
the governance structure of the industry by
the National Assembly, the remaining two
segments of fiscal terms and host
communities would require extensive
consultation to aggregate views and
indefatigable staff of NNPC, noting that the
leadership of the union was elated to share
in the moment of exemplary recognition
and distinction the award accorded Dr. Baru.
NewDirect Newspaper, a Lagos based
tabloid and online publication, Saturday
17 March, 2018 gave its Man of the Year
Award to Dr. Maikanti Baru in a wellattended
event held in Lagos.
While thanking the Management
of NewsDirect Newspapers for the award,
PENGASSAN found encouragement in the
wordings of the award citation which
celebrates Baru’s attribute of transparency,
his commitment to the revamp of
downstream infrastructure, opening of
inland basins, growing crude reserve as well
as maintenance of strategic
communications amongst stakeholders in
opinions of industry stakeholders in order
to strike a balance that could attract
investments while ensuring a decent
government-take in terms of oil and gas
revenue.
Speaking specifically on the fiscal terms,
Dr. Baru said the major complaint by
operators in the industry was that of
multiple taxation which include statutory
contributions to the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) and
Nigerian Content Development and
Monitoring Board (NCDMB) as well as
sundry expenses on security.
“We have to be able to design a system
that works. If the 3%, 13% or any other
statutory allocation for development is not
working, then you should not be afraid to
recommend a percentage that could work
to replace the present system where
operators pay multiple taxes and yet have
to pay much more extra to secure their
investments,” he said.
the Nigeria oil and gas industry.
PENGASSAN said it aligned itself
with ongoing strategic discussions
between the NNPC management and
various consortia on the best possible
funding option for the overhaul of the
nation’s refineries.
‘’We are also aware that under your
management and leadership, the
NNPC has made remarkable progress
in resuscitating other critical
downstream infrastructure by making
it a key component of your corporate
vision of the 12 Business Focus Areas,
(BUFA) geared towards ensuring
uninterrupted supply of petroleum
products nationwide,’’
PENGASSAN said.
He said NNPC was interested in
the segment of the PIB relating to
the fiscal terms and was ready to
spend considerable time and efforts
to ensure that the National Assembly
got it right in the interest of the
nation.
He said NNPC would work very
closely with the consultants to arrive
at models that can respond to future
challenges in the industry.
On his part, the lead consultant,
Mr. Osteen Olorunsola, thanked the
GMD for the opportunity to rob
minds on the critical issues
surrounding the remaining
segments of the Petroleum Industry
Bill.
He said their mission was to seek
input to come up with a
comprehensive and balanced report
to guide the National Assembly in
its legislative work with regards to
the Petroleum Industry Reform Bill.
Global Crude
Oil Outlook
Oil Inches Lower On Expectations For U.S.
Crude Stock Build Oil prices slipped on
Wednesday on expectations for a build-up in U.S.
crude inventories, but Russian government
comments on prospects for stepping up
cooperation with OPEC to coordinate output
cuts braked steeper declines.
Brent crude futures dipped to $67.94 per barrel,
down 18 cents, or 0.26 percent, after it rose 0.7
percent on Tuesday.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude
futures were at $63.36 per barrel, down 15 cents,
or 0.24 percent, from their previous settlement.
U.S. crude inventories likely saw a build for
the second straight week, while refined product
stockpiles were forecast to have declined last
week.
Industry group the American Petroleum
Institute, however, said on Tuesday U.S. crude
stocks have unexpectedly fallen last week as
refineries boosted output.
Meanwhile, Russian Energy Minister
Alexander Novak said on Tuesday that a
joint organization between the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC
countries may be set up after the current
deal on production cuts expires at the end
of this year.
Oil has risen from a multi-year low near
$27 a barrel in January 2016, helped by
production cuts led by OPEC and Russia,
which began in 2017 in order to rein in oversupply
and prop up prices.
Top producer Russia’s oil output rose in March
to 10.97 million barrels per day, up from 10.95
million bpd in February, official data showed
earlier this week, prompting some traders to
worry the OPEC-non-OPEC alliance to help
balance oil markets was under threat.