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10 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020
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Over 30,000 Nigerian women trafficked to
African countries as sex slaves — Reps
*Put NIS, NAPTIP, others on alert
By Levinus
Nwabughiogu
ABUJA —THE House
of Representatives
yesterday decried the increasing
number of Nigerian
women trafficked to
neighbouring African
countries as sex slaves, putting
the figure at 30,000.
Besides the number in
Africa, the House said several
others were scattered
around the world in the
unholy act.
To this end, the House
urged personnel of the Nigerian
Immigration Service,
NIS at the ports and borders
of Nigeria to permit
officials of National Agency
for the Prohibition of
Trafficking in Persons, NAP-
TIP, to operate, spot, identify
and prevent the illicit
emigration of potential victims
to foreign lands.
The resolution was sequel
to a motion moved by
Rimamnde Shawulu
Kwewum from Adamawa
State (PDP) and seven others
at yesterday’s plenary.
Relying on the statistics
by NAPTIP, Kwewum, who
noted that the number was
alarming, said:
“The House notes that at
present, there are several
tens of thousands of Nigerian
women who have been
turned into sex slaves
around the world. Reports
in the media show that Nigerian
women and even
underage girls, have been
turned into sex slaves in
European and several Middle
East countries:
“The House is concerned
that even neighbouring
West African states which
depend on Nigeria for their
well being and security,
have become notorious in
maltreating Nigerian women,
keeping them as sex
slaves and providing safe
haven for perpetrators of
human trafficking;
“We are aware that the
National Agency for the Prohibition
of Trafficking in Persons,
NAPTIP, has conducted
several investigations
DISCOs: No subsidy from FG since
privatisation
and discovered that between
20,000 and 30,000
Nigerian girls are sex
slaves, with 50 additional
girls being added to the list
every day.
“Because of increased efforts
of security agencies,
traffickers no longer accompany
their victims to Mali
but now “waybill” the girls
through Cotonou. Many
of the victims were deceived
by friends and relatives
to leave Nigeria for
greener pastures (mostly
domestic work, hair dressing
or sales) in Malaysia
only to discover later that
they are being used for sex
trade.
“Nigerian girls are trafficked
mainly to the mining
areas in the South and
Central part of Mali, but a
substantial number are trafficked
to rebel held areas
in the North of Mali, where
they stand the risk of being
radicalized;
“Some of the victims were
taken away from Nigeria,
some in school uniforms
and are being treated like
slaves and less than second
class citizens by Malians
and their law enforcement
agencies collect taxes from
the Nigerian women on a
weekly basis and force
them to use condoms;
“Nigerian women are
forced by their ‘Madams’ to
sleep with numerous men,
without using any protection,
hence the high incidence
of sexually transmitted
diseases and other ailments.
“The border point between
Nigeria and Benin
Republic at Seme-Krake is
notoriously porous and in
spite of numerous reports
and pictures of notorious
trafficking sent to Nigerian
security agencies at the border,
no action has been taken
to curb the practice.
“The Nigerian Ambassador
to Burkina Faso, Ramatu
Ahmed, alerted that no
fewer than 10,000 Nigerian
women, mainly underaged
girls, are forced into
prostitution in Ouagadougou
and other mining
camps across West Africa.”
ABUJA — Electricity
Distribution Companies,
DISCOs, yesterday,
declared that they have not
received any subsidy from
the Federal Government
since the power sector was
privatised in November
2013.
The 11 Distribution Companies,
operating under
the aegis of Association Nigerian
Electricity Distributors,
ANED, insisted
through a statement by its
Executive Director, Research
and Advocacy, Mr.
Sunday Oduntan, that
none of the companies ever
received subsidy from the
government.
Apparently reacting to
the remarks credited to the
Minister of Power, Mr.
Saleh Mamman, that the
Federal Government would
not continue to subsidise
the power sector, ANED
said government only
made payments to generating
and gas supply companies.
Oduntan said:
“Last week, via various
news media, we were, once
again, presented with another
situation in which our
electricity distribution, DIS-
COs, sub-sector was put up
for public vilification and
denouncement on information
that is, largely, not re-
*Say N1.7trn subsidy for generating, gas companies
flective of the reality or complexity
of the Nigerian have been attributed to the
ments or comments that
Electricity Supply Industry, Minister of Power via various
national newspapers
NESI, value chain.
“The statements or comments
behind this recent “That is what we are say-
on February 20th, 2020.
media exercise were attributed
to Mr. Saleh Mam-
continue to subsidise being.
Government cannot
man, the Minister of Power,
speaking to journalists is that they collect 3,000
cause what they are doing
after the Federal Executive megawatts and pay for only
Council, FEC, meeting. 1,000 megawatts. That is 15
“As the face of the NESI percent of what they are collecting.
So, government is
market, responsible for direct
interface with the public
and collecting of all monment.
To date, the DISCOs
the one completing the payies
due to the different players
in the sector, we readily sidy from the federal gov-
have not received any sub-
acknowledge both the inefficiencies
that our sub-secernment.
References to the
N1.7 trillion in subsidies
tor continues to experience
paid by the government
and the pervasive dissatisfaction
of our customers
are associated with payments
that have been made
to the generating and gas
with same.
supply companies, under
"We will continue to strive
the Payment Assurance
to do better. However, it is
Guarantees, PAG, initiative
also important that our customers,
specifically, and ty Market Stabilization
and the Nigerian Electrici-
Nigerian citizens, in general,
be accurately and well “PAG is, principally, a re-
Fund, NEMSF.
informed as to the challenges,
facts and constraints of tory and policy intervensult
of government regula-
the NESI value chain, as tionist initiatives that have
necessary for us to, collectively,
devise strategies and the NESI value chain to
resulted in the inability of
solution that will get us to recover the cost of doing
the envisioned improved business based, primarily,
supply of, and service delivery
of electricity. reflective – an unmet criti-
on tariffs that are non-cost
“The following information
is provided for clarifivatisation
of the electricity
cal commitment of the prication
of some of the state-
distribution companies."
GDP growth rate still largely
below desirable — MAN
Coronavirus, Lassa Fever: Reps
want equipment procurement
powers for Health Ministry
By Levinus
Nwabughiogu
ABUJA — THE House
of Representatives
has asked for the restoration
of equipment procurement
powers to the Ministry of
Health to pro-actively tackle
the menace of Lassa fever
and coronavirus.
The House stated that
the inability of the ministry
to procure equipment, protective
personnel gadgets
and other laboratory and
logistical equipment/services,
reagents and drugs was
seriously hampering the
efforts of the Federal Government
to fight and contain
the coronavirus and
Lassa fever epidemics.
Motion to this effect was
co-moved by Shehu Balarabe
Kakale, Tanko Sonunu
LAGOS — THE President,
Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria,
MAN, Mansur Ahmed,
has said that the 2019 quarter
four, Q4 GDP though
positive, was still largely
below desirable for the nation’s
economy.
Ahmed said in a statement
yesterday in Lagos,
said the real GDP growth
rate was impressive, in view
of the fact that the 4th quarter
record represented the
highest quarterly growth
performance since the
2016.
“But it is still largely below
the desirable because
the 2.55 per cent growth is
still below the population
growth rate of 2.6 percent.
“The full year figure of the
real GDP of 2.27 per cent
in 2019 when compared
with the 1.91 per cent of
2018 reveals a promising
but cautious improvement
of economic performance.
“This is encouraging, especially
because it obviously
surpassed the 2.1 per
cent projections of the IMF
apparently due to the usual
heavy seasonal activities
transaction,” he said.
He, however, expressed
doubt about its sustainability
in the coming quarters
due to unfriendly operating
environment.
“This doubt will be overcome
if government ensures
that its Ease of Doing Business
reforms reduce the cost
of doing business.
“This will result in a real
GDP growth that may again
surpass the 2.0 per cent projection
for 2020,” he said.
Ahmed further said that
development showed that
the sector was still struggling
on the 0.14 per cent
growth of the manufacturing
sector in Q4 of 2019.
“This is not too good for
an economy that will soon
be exposed to the vagaries
of the Africa Continental
Free Trade Area, AfCFTA,
that will commence in July
2020. It also re-emphasised
the need for government to
continue to address the perennial
issues hindering
performance of real sector to
guarantee improved performance
and sustained
growth,” he said.
and Babatunde Adejare at
plenary yesterday.
Moving the motion,
Kakale noted that the federal
government has proactively
provided or released
huge sums of money
amounting to about
N386m for the effort.
He, however, expressed
concern that basic protective
equipment as face
masks, thermal scanners
and gloves were rapidly
depletingand going out of
stock in the ministry.
He said: “The House is
also concerned that all procurement
issues of one
mandated ministry are going
to another ministry, in
this case, Agriculture,
which means outright violation
of the Procurement
Act, and therefore illegal."
Dangote Cement proposes
N16 dividend to shareholders
FOLLOWING its im
proved performance,
the board of directors of
Dangote Cement Plc has
proposed a final dividend
of N16 per share subject to
ratification by the shareholders
at the coming Annual
General Meeting
(AGM).
According to the full year
report released on the floor
of the Nigerian Stock Exchange,
Dangote Cement
Plant, Mtwara, Tanzania,
recorded an increase of 94
percent increase in volume
within the review period.
Dangote Cement Plant,
Pout, Senegal put up a remarkable
performance with
sales up more than 100
percent of rated capacity.
Speaking on the result,
Group Chief Executive Officer,
Dangote Cement, Joe
Makoju, said: “Dangote
Cement maintained strong
financial performance despite
a low growth environment,
pricing pressure and
increasing competition in
key markets. The Nigerian
operations maintained
volume and revenue performance
in a challenging
environment. Export sales
were affected by the border
closure in the second half
of 2019. Looking ahead, I
expect an increase in volumes
in 2020 as we commence
clinker exports via
shipping from Nigeria.
Pan-Africa volumes were
slightly up notably supported
by Tanzania and Senegal.
I am glad to report that
Tanzania contributed positively
at EBITDA level. In
2020, I believe Dangote
Cement will see an increase
in profitability in Pan-Africa
driven by higher volumes
and further efficiency
improvements.