Written by Ejime Udueme……
Equatorial Guinea has been plagued by numerous sex scandals often involving high-ranking government officials and human trafficking.
In 2022, reports emerged of a sex scandal involving 400 video tapes allegedly showing government officials, including ministers and military personnel, engaging in sexual activities with underage girls.
The tapes were reportedly used for blackmail and to maintain control over victims.
It involved Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President and son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who was accused of using government funds to purchase luxury items and pay for sex workers.
Equatorial Guinean peacekeepers were also accused of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Central African Republic.
Following this notorious development, Equatorial Guinea has been ranked Tier 3 in the US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons, TIP Report, indicating inadequate efforts to prevent human trafficking.
As if that was not enough, just few weeks ago, the Social media and other news and entertainment channels were flooded with discussions about the Director-General of the National Financial Investigation Agency of Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, who was recently sacked following his leaked sex videos, one of the greatest sex scandals in the history of the country.
The sex tapes discovered in Engonga’s home and office, during an investigation into a fraud allegation, involved sexual escapades between Engonga and over 400 high profile married women of Equatorial Guinea in Africa, a situation that warranted the President of Equatorial Guinea , Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to dismiss him from office.
Here lies the issues. For a public office holder to go on sex rampage with 400 married women in one country without being caught shows how porous the society is.
On the flip side, for over 400 women to willingly cheat on their husbands, shows the level of unfaithfulness in many marriages, with the female gender not left out.
So many questions are begging for answers, like – were the high profile women involved in the sex tape hypnotized or coerced?
Was it money that enticed them to indulge in such acts while being recorded on camera?
How come all of these unwholesome activities were executed and no investigative journalist or media house as watchdogs of the society, reported same in Equatorial Guinea?
It is unfortunate that the sex addict perpetuated all these unnoticed, until investigation of financial misappropriation levelled against him led security operatives to storm his residence where the video tapes of his sexual exploits were recovered and made public.
There is no gain saying the fact that most public office holders in Africa, abuse the trust placed on them as they continue to deploy the benefits of their offices to suppress justice, intimidate and oppress the people they are meant to serve.
This underscores the need for political parties to carry out background check of those vying for political offices under their umbrella, and those nominated for appointments to avoid show of shame, while citizens themselves should be wary of those they give their votes to.
Public office holders should be intentional in using their position to engrave their names in gold.
Moreso, the media should brace up to it’s responsibility as the watchdog of the society, and beam it’s search light on public office holders, holding them accountable, while reviving its investigative Journalism strengths, to fulfill its duty to the public.
Again, enabling laws should be enacted to curtail the excesses of infidelity in marriages before the institution goes into extinction, while couples and intending ones, should make conscious effort to live according to their marrital vows.
In conclusion, everyone should bear in mind that future consequences are inevitably shaped by present actions.
Take responsibility for your actions, bearing in mind that what goes around, comes around.
Ejime Udueme…..