FIJ
Mojisolaoluwa Kehinde Alli-Macaulay, a former lawmaker in Lagos State who came under fire in 2020 due to a condescending statement she made about the Nigerian youth, has been appointed as the Executive Director (Operations) of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
When the news of her appointment, which was approved by President Bola Tinubu, surfaced on Saturday, many social media users decried it, as they recalled the past statement she made.
While addressing a plenary session of the Lagos House of Assembly regarding the looting and violence that followed the #EndSARS protests in October 2020, the former lawmaker claimed that most Nigerian youths were frequently under the influence of drugs.
“We need to begin to orientate our young people. They are high on drugs all the time, most of them. They go to social media and do all sorts of things. I’m even scared to give my young children phones because I am scared of what they may see on social media. It is that bad,” she said.
Amid the umbrage she faced for this statement, she would then be accused of sharing COVID-19 palliatives as birthday gifts.
Circulating online at the time were photos of cartons of noodles beside packaged gift items branded with the lawmaker’s picture. Inscribed on the cartons of noodles was the word CACOVID, an alliance of the private sector which provided food palliatives to help vulnerable members cushion the effects of the pandemic.
BudgIT, a Nigerian civic organisation that applies technology for citizen engagement with institutional improvement to facilitate societal change, and CODE, a non-government organisation whose mission is to empower marginalised communities in Africa, subsequently petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), asking for Alli-Macaulay to be investigated.
Alli-Macaulay’s constituents also called for her recall on grounds of poor constituency representation and theft of palliatives meant for the masses.
While reacting to the recent appointment, @loveog2002, an X user, wrote, “Accused of stealing ordinary COVID-19 palliatives, what is the reward? Come and be in charge of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund! You can’t make this up; this is Nigeria.”
Also according to Seun Onigbinde, “The government is simply run as a social recruitment plan.”
“Another story of thieves empowering thieves,” wrote @Konigtimz.
@iamrildwanbello wrote, “The reward of stealing palliative is that you will manage an even bigger palliative.”
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN FIJ
