Replicate U.S. rape protest in Nigeria, Sanwo-Olu’s wife charges men

• Groups seek life imprisonment for rape offenders
• Surveyors urge Lagos govt to review Survey Edict

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged Nigerian men to replicate the ongoing massive anti-racism protest in United States (U.S.) in Nigeria against sexual and gender-based violence to send a strong message against rape and its perpetrators.

The governor’s wife, who spoke while receiving participants at a special all-male awareness walk with the theme “Men Against Rape” organised by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in collaboration with Partnership For Justice and Mirabel Centre against rape in Alausa, said sexual violence against women and girls must be accorded the same level of seriousness with which COVID-19 pandemic was addressed to demonstrate commitment to end the menace.

She commended men of good conscience who have decided to rise up to be counted for a good cause by participating in the awareness campaign aimed at highlighting the importance of men to join the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu said: “It is sad that while we fight coronavirus pandemic, an unseen enemy, we are still having to deal with issues of a seen enemy and that is the perpetrators of rape and other forms of violence against women and children.”

Earlier, the Founder Mirabel Centre, Itoro Anaba, who is also a managing partner of Partnership for Justice, lamented that the lockdown had exposed the severity of the rape cases recorded in the country.

Also, the representative of the Coalition of men against rape, Kingsley Obom-Egbulem, noted that while rape is a serious issue in the country, there is need to strengthen the judicial system.

Chairman, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Lagos State, Kehinde Showemimo, said that publishing rape scenes rather than the punishment, sometimes motivate others to do such evil.

In another development, the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Lagos State Branch, yesterday asked the Lagos State government to review and amend the Survey Edict of 1984, which governs the practice of the profession in the state.

Chairman of the institute, Adeleke Adesina, who stated this during the donation of a 2019 Peugeot ambulance to the government yesterday, said the law should be urgently updated.

Adesina also said the prevention of surveyors from carrying out their professional services in areas said to be under acquisition be discontinued.