A disturbing report has emerged, alleging that a Director at the Universal Service Provision Fund under Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), identified as Yomi, has sexually abused the daughter of a former presidential aide.
Though the identity of the victim’s father, who served as a presidential aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, has been withheld to safeguard the victim’s identity, the incident sheds light on the ongoing issue of sexual misconduct and abuse of power in Nigeria.
As more details emerge, it is imperative that justice be served and that measures be taken to prevent such heinous acts from occurring again.
The Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) No 19 of 2003, Part IV established the Universal Service Provision (USP) and mandated the Board to supervise and provide broad policy directions for the management of the USP Fund.
Section 118 of the Act established the USP Secretariat and states that it shall reside in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Universal Service Provision.
Pursuant to this mandate, the USP Fund started operation in August 2006 and has embarked on various projects.
According to sources, the agency’s management has been attempting to cover up the incident. It is understood that a similar situation occurred during the tenure of the previous Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Danbatta.
In October 2023, President Bola Tinubu appointed Dr Aminu Maida as the new Executive Vice Chairman, replacing Danbatta.
Prior to his appointment, Maida served as Executive Director, Technology and Operations at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement Systems PLC.
The Presidency said Danbatta’s removal was “in line with President Bola Tinubu’s determination to maximally leverage on Nigeria’s proven technological and digital economic prowess to reposition the nation’s economy toward greater financial inclusion”.
“The Director of USPF in NCC Yomi has been reported to have molested the daughter of a past press secretary to a president,” one of the sources said.
SaharaReporters learnt that the NCC management is attempting to sweep the alleged sexual abuse case under the rug due to a previous incident involving another senior staff member, during the tenure of Danbatta.
“The management is doing all it can to silence the victim because a few years ago, a similar incident happened involving another senior staff member during the Danbatta period but that staff member was suspended and made to miss the promotion,” a source revealed to SaharaReporters. “But today, people are trying to cover up this fresh incident which can lead to more bad behaviour.”
When SaharaReporters reached out to the father of the alleged victim, he did not confirm or deny the allegation.
“Thank you very much for contacting me. Kindly deal with their office on this,” he simply said.
However, when SaharaReporters reached out to the NCC Head of Media and Public Relations, Mr Reuben Muoka, he said he was not aware of the matter.
“I don’t have any information on it; I’m not aware of it,” he said.
Similarly in June, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Adamu Lamuwa was accused of sexually harassing a female staff member of the ministry.
A married employee of the ministry, Mrs Simisola Fajemirokun Ajayi, disclosed the excesses of the permanent secretary in a petition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, through her lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), and urged the minister to investigate the envoy.
She asked that disciplinary actions should be taken against Lamuwa to serve as a deterrent to others.
The petition dated May 29, 2024 and titled: “Request For An Investigation Of Amb. Ibrahim Lamuwa’s Conducts Of Sexual Harassment At The Place Of Work, Abuse Of Office Official Intimidation And Discrimination,” was signed by Adebayo A. Oniyelu LP for Falana & Falana’s.
Narrating how the Permanent Secretary had been harassing her, the counsel reminded the minister that he (Tuggar) had intervened in the past and was assured that such atrocity and bizarre act would not happen again yet, in May, he (Amb. Ibrahim Lamuwa) resumed his sexual molestation, a development that had created an unsafe and uncomfortable working environment for their client and other workers in the ministry.
The petition partly read: “Our attention has been drawn to the bizarre and continuous incidents of sexual harassment, intimidation, oppression, discrimination and conduct likely to breach the public peace within your esteemed Ministry by Amb. Ibrahim Lamuwa. Amb. Ibrahim Lamuwa’s conduct has created an unsafe and uncomfortable working environment for our client and other staff within your Ministry due to the disturbing experiences and ordeals from the Permanent Secretary.
“Consequent to the foregoing, we seek the intervention of your good office on the above- captioned matter based on the following facts:
“October 7, 2023 during the first policy retreat to review President Tinubu’s 4D policy, Amb. Ibrahim Lamuwa approached our client to inquire as to why she did not sleep at the hotel and informed her that he would want her to come to his room after the event. Our client explained that she was a nursing mother and needed to go home to care for her baby.
“Dissatisfied with this, he reiterated his sexual advancement to our client by saying “Is it a big baby or small baby- he suspects it’s a big baby and would like to find out so he can join”. He, however, continued this line of inappropriate anecdotes throughout the retreat.”
