· Customs withhold findings on Dalhatu’s access to DCG rank
· MMS WoFHoF seeks enforcement of laws against gender discrimination
Nine months after the alleged mentally deranged Customs officer, Nura Dalhatu promoted himself to the rank of Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), conflicting reports have emerged on his whereabouts. While the authority claims that he is still being treated at a Customs rehabilitation centre, a source in Customs hinted that he has since been reassigned to a duty post. However, the veracity of both claims could not be fully established as at press time, on Friday,
Dalhatu had sojourned to Customs headquarters in Abuja after claiming to have been appointed as the successor to the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col. Hammed Ali (Rtd.), meticulously adorning neatly pressed and well-starched uniforms, despite his insanity.
Speaking with MMS Plus newspaper last week, the spokesperson of NCS, Mr. Joseph Attah confirmed that the Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC1), Dalhatu, was still being held at a Customs rehabilitation facility, however, he couldn’t give details about this rehab facility.
According to the National Public Relations Officer of Customs, Attah, the officer is still under medication and he has been referred for further medical attention.
Recall that the Customs spokesman stated in July last year that the Service initiated investigations to unravel how Dalhatu got DCG rank. However, the Service has withheld this information from the public, giving an indication that the incident was an account of officers’ orchestrated protest against the festering maladministration of the CGC in the Service.
“Dalhatu is still at the rehabilitation centre. I can’t give further details on the state of his health but I can assure you that he is still at the rehab centre,” Attah told MMS Plus newspaper last week.
MMS Plus also recalls that none of the officers working closely with Dalhatu observed or reported early traces of his abnormality, with Customs stating that his mental ailment had been spontaneous.
Attah who said that he was at the Customs headquarters when the incident transpired, noted the officer looked normal until he was interrogated and he started giving strange responses.
Meanwhile in another development, MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame (WoFHoF) Initiative has admonished Nigerian women to push for enforcement of the numerous laws which kick against gender discrimination.
The Founder, MMS WoFHoF Initiative, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke made this call when the Initiative organized a road walk and press conference in Lagos, last week to mark the 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD).
According to him, there are sufficient laws to suppress the victimization of women in the country nevertheless the menace persists across several sectors of the nation’s economy, including governance.
This position was corroborated Professor Joy Ezeilo, a feminine activist who introduced a course in the Nigerian University Council’s curriculum called, “Women, Children & The Law”, in 1997.
She lamented that despite using the court room and the classroom to advocate for women’s rights for several years, the law has done so little for Nigerian women.
“Too many laws have been passed and international treaties signed in the name of gender equality, yet patriarchy is still nowhere near extinction. Younger women need to push harder!” she posted on social media to mark IWD 2020.
Ezeilo had ventured into the world of activism after her mother was asked to ‘leave the township’ and relocate to the village following her husband’s funeral. That incident taught her early in life that the legal framework for non-discrimination does not really work for women who are poor, widowed, and in the middle of sanction and stigma.
Anaroke also admonished women to develop the leadership, fiscal and entrepreneurial capabilities to correct the paltry representation of 4.5 percent on global Chief Executive Officers index.
According to him, the MMS WoFHoF Initiative has empowered over three hundred women via career and entrepreneurship mentoring as well as provision of small and micro credit grants, noting that women have proven to be better managers of resources and personnel.
“Come April 2nd, 2020, we shall be having the MMS Hall of Famers’ Day commemoration of the 2020 IWD during which ten women of substance shall be recognized as UN Generation Amazons while beneficiaries of the 5W-250,000 scheme shall reel out their testimonials,” Anaroke said.
The UN Generation Amazons to be celebrated at the event have been selected from Nigeria’s transportation, finance, oil and gas, among other sectors. They are; Mrs. Olufunmilayo Olotu, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, Mrs. Sarat Braimah, Mrs. Stella Romaine, Mrs. Bridget Gold, Mrs. Rejoice Ndudinachi, Mrs. Princess Chi Ezeh, Mrs. Felicia Agubata.
Others are; Mrs. Victoria Tarfa, Mrs. Ebele Okoyo, Mrs. Obelle Joy, Mrs. Folake Soyinka, Mrs. Chizoba Anyika and Mrs. Mercy Ebere.
The event which is the 3rd MMS Hall of Famers’ Day would take place by 4pm at Golden Gate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos and it would have the Chairperson, Nigerian Ship-Owners Forum, Barr. (Mrs.) Margaret Orakwusi, as the Chief Host, while the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji-Dada will be the Guest Speaker.
The Chairman of the event would be the Lagos Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Mrs. Phil Nneji. The Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen will be the Special Guest of Honour, while the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi will be the Chief Guest of Honour.
Also speaking at the press conference ahead of the Hall of Famers Day celebration, the Program Manager, MMS WoFHoF Initiative, Mr. John Kwushue urged women to break barriers of gender inequality with preparedness in self actualization and empowerment in career, education and entrepreneurship.
“Despite increased awareness on gender parity, it is disheartening to note that the gap in gender inequality in economic spectrum would take 257 years to be closed, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) recent report,” he said.
He lamented that in politics, women hold less than 20% of the elected positions worldwide despite the numeric advantage across most nations of the world.
“We are looking forward into a situation where we will have 50% women involvement in these indices and we are getting there. So, what we are saying is that gender bias in our society is still there and at MMS WoFHoF Initiative, we would remain resolute in the bid to close this gap”, he said.
