A former lawmaker for Cross-River South Senatorial District, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claim of sexual harassment, stating that women cannot be harassed once they become senators.

Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, Ita-Giwa argued that it is a sign of weakness for female lawmakers to make such claims.

Akpoti-Uduaghan had alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio frustrated her motions on Ajaokuta Steel Company because she refused his sexual advances.

Ita-Giwa, however, said, “By the time you contest elections and get to Senate, you have passed that stage of your life of being sexually harassed. You go there to serve, and you are all equal in that place.

“And again, it shows weakness; you don’t allow it. It (sexual harassment) can not happen in the Senate.

“I am not saying the lady is lying, but when you get to the Senate, you’re there as a person. You’re not there as a woman.”

When asked if female lawmakers should remain silent about harassment from colleagues, Ita-Giwa, who is a former presidential adviser, insisted that making such allegations at that level reflects weakness.

“At that stage in politics, if you come out and say someone is sexually harassing you, it is a weakness,” Ita-Giwa said.

She added, “I’m saying that it does not; it would not happen in the Senate, and it should not happen in the Senate and again, I’m not here to defend anybody in politics.”

She maintained that female senators should see themselves as equals to their male counterparts, emphasising that winning a senatorial election is no small feat.

Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conflict with Akpabio began last week when she discovered her Senate seat had been changed, leading to a brief disruption during plenary.

During her Arise TV appearance, Akpoti-Uduaghan claimed the issue started in December 2023 when she and her husband visited Akpabio’s home for his birthday.

She alleged that Akpabio made inappropriate advances while showing her around, prompting her husband to warn her against being alone with him.

While Akpabio has yet to respond to the allegation, his wife, Ekaette, has denounced Akpoti-Uduaghan and filed a defamation lawsuit against her.

There is looming fuel scarcity in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria as tanker drivers have stopped fuel loading over alleged harassment by officials of the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

Also, telecommunications companies have raised concerns over a possible network blackout as the strike by petroleum tanker drivers could disrupt diesel supply, threatening the operations of mobile and internet services.

The TheNigerian learned that the truck drivers could not load fuel on Saturday and Sunday, creating fears of scarcity in Lagos and other states.

However, the Lagos State Government said it was only enforcing its e-call-up system, warning that attempts to blackmail the state government would not work.

The e-call-up system is a digital platform that manages the movement of trucks in the Lekki-Epe corridor of Lagos. The system was launched in September 2024 to help reduce traffic congestion

In an interview with one of our correspondents, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, said members of his association were often beaten and harassed by government officials for no known reason.

According to him, trucks were being seized and damaged by the government officials, adding that he would not know if there would be fuel loading on Monday (today).

“The problem we have now is that the tax force in Lagos State has towed our trucks and they are beating our drivers, They damaged the vehicle of the union. So, because of that, there was no loading yesterday (Saturday and there is no loading today (Sunday). I don’t know whether there will be any form of loading tomorrow in Lagos environment. The union and the tax force are disturbing us,” Othman stated.

Asked if this would not lead to fuel scarcity, he replied, “Well, I wouldn’t know, but I know there was no loading yesterday, there is no loading today, and there may not be tomorrow. And all is because of this Lagos tax force.

“They are busy collecting our vehicles, giving fines and whatever. I don’t know how they will operate without fuel trucks. There is no refinery or depot in any place that can operate without a vehicle that will come and take products from them. So, they have to find a way of ensuring that we all co-exist peacefully,” he stated.

The NARTO president said this does not relate to the ban on 60,000 trucks.

“It’s entirely a different thing. It’s a tax force from the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Transport,” he disclosed.

LASG replies

Reacting, the Lagos State Government emphasised that the government was making efforts to sanitise traffic along the road to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Wale Musa, said the state government would not allow tanker drivers to turn the area to another Apapa which used to be characterised by massive gridlocks in the past.

“I am aware that some enforcement was done at the Dangote refinery axis. If it is the same issue, the enforcement is to ensure compliance with our e-call-up system.

“We won’t allow them to turn that place into another Apapa. Their attempt at blackmail will not suffice. We urge willful compliance for everybody’s sake,” Musa said in a chat.

Telcos fear blackout

Telecommunication companies expressed concern over a looming network blackout as the ongoing strike by petroleum tanker drivers could disrupt diesel supply, threatening the operations of mobile and internet services.

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, which represents major operators, warned that the strike could cause widespread service disruptions if the diesel shortage persists.

“If diesel supply is disrupted, it will impact network operations because telcos rely on diesel to power their sites almost daily,” ATCON President, Tony Emoekpere, told The TheNigerian on Sunday.

“While many sites have reserve tanks, some are already at critical supply levels. If there is no immediate intervention, services could be affected.”

Telecommunications providers such as MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile do not manage their base stations directly. Instead, they rely on infrastructure companies like IHS Towers, American Tower Company, and Pan African Towers, which maintain and power these sites using diesel generators.

Emoekpere stressed the urgent need for contingency measures to protect critical telecom infrastructure.

“This situation wasn’t planned for. Even in cases like this, there should be mechanisms in place to ensure telecom services are not compromised. Telecom infrastructure is critical national infrastructure and should not be left vulnerable,” he said.

He noted that infrastructure companies have already reported difficulties in securing diesel, prompting ATCON to raise the alarm. “We don’t wait for a total shutdown before taking action; this is a preventive measure,” he added.

In a separate statement, ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to facilitate the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere said.

The association also urged security agencies and petroleum unions to swiftly resolve the crisis to safeguard Nigeria’s telecommunications infrastructure.

If diesel supply is not restored soon, millions of subscribers could experience service disruptions, affecting both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations, he argued.

No fewer than 67 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Government to immediately end harassment and threats against Amnesty International (AI) and other groups in the country.

The CSOs said that the Nigeria Police Force, in a letter dated 6th January 2025, threatened Amnesty International with a purported legal action over the organisation’s recent report titled: “Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests.”

The CSOs are: 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative; Accountability Lab, Nigeria; Abuja School of Social and Political Thought; Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ); African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD); African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL); Amnesty International Nigeria; Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP); BudgIT Foundation; Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity; Centre Democracy and Development (CDD); Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding – Kaduna; Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT); Centre for Global Tolerance and Human Rights; Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD); Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID); Centre for Social Centre for Justice Reform; Centre for Transparency Watch; Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC); CLEEN Foundation; Community Life Project (CLP); Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR); Connected Development (CODE); Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA); Elixir Trust Foundation; Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability; Environmental Rights Action; Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA); Falana and Falana’s Chambers; Global Rights and Good Governance Team.

Others are: Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF); Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre); Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation; INVICTUS AFRICA; Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre; Lawyers Alert; Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI); Media Rights Agenda; Mothers and Marginalised Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre); Nigeria Network of NGOs; Open Society on Justice Reform Project; Order Paper; Organisation for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN); Partners West Africa; Policy Alert; Praxis; Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA); Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative; Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED); RULAAC – Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre; Say NO Campaign – Nigeria; Sensor Empowerment Foundation; Social Action; Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre; Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP); State of the Union (SOTU); Tax Justice and Governance Platform; Transition Monitoring Group (TMG); West Africa Civil Society Forum (WASCSOF); Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC); Women in Media Communication Initiative (WIM); Women in Mining, Nigeria; World Impact Development Foundation; Yiaga Africa and Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC).

The statement said: “We, the undersigned civil society organisations, are seriously concerned about the ongoing intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International in Nigeria by the Nigeria Police Force and call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to end the escalating crackdown on activists, human rights, journalists and other Nigerians simply for peacefully exercising their human rights.

“We note that the Nigeria Police Force, in a letter dated 6th January 2025, threatened Amnesty International with a purported legal action over the organisation’s recent report titled: “Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests.”

“We also note that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported that 27 protesters were killed by the police while about 800 people were arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country in August 2024. Several protesters were reportedly detained without charges or trial. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN also reported that some 22 protesters were killed while over 2,000 protesters were arrested during the protests in several states.

“We are seriously concerned that rather than promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently and effectively investigating these grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses, bringing suspected perpetrators to justice and ensuring effective remedies and adequate compensation for victims and their families, the police is deliberately intimidating, threatening and targeting Amnesty International.

“The intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International coming after the recent reports of intimidation and harassment of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and in the context of the ongoing repression of civic space and attacks against activists, human rights defenders, and journalists demonstrates an alarming crackdown on civic space and human rights in Nigeria. We are concerned that the intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International have seriously undermined the space for activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other Nigerians to carry out their legitimate human rights activities and work, and to freely associate and express themselves,” the CSOs said.

The CSOs said they are concerned that Nigerian authorities continue to disregard their obligations under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and the human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to which the country is a state party.

“We stand in solidarity with Amnesty International. The intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International and the escalating crackdown on the human rights movement in the country must end. We call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigerian Police Force to immediately end its ongoing intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International and to allow the organisation to freely carry out its human rights work in the country without any fear of reprisals.

“We call on the Tinubu administration to thoroughly, impartially, independently and effectively investigate the grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses in the context of the #EndBadGovernance protests. The administration must ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice promptly and that victims and their families are provided access to justice and effective remedies. We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately take measures to ensure a conducive environment where civil society organisations, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other Nigerians will feel safe to carry out their work and exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

“We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately halt all acts of repression, judicial harassment and intimidation against activists, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations. We call on the Tinubu administration to end its ongoing crackdown on human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, as well as to respect everyone’s human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria,” the CSOs added.