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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Wife of former Nigeria’s Vice President, Mrs. Titi Atiku, has intensified campaign against sex-for-marks in tertiary institutions, which she said, is badly affecting female students across tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.
She called on Federal Government to strengthened the measures that would encourage affected ladies to speak out and provide evidence that would help to nail lecturers who indulge in such practices.
Mrs Abubakar who was a guest at the 2022 Queen of Nigerian Institutions Beauty Pageant held in Abuja for students of Nigeria Universities, encouraged Nigerians to assist the institutions by ending stigmatisation of girls who are victims of different forms of abuse in tertiary institutions.
She appealed to student unions to support female students to speak out on the scourge of sex for marks, while equally protecting them from suspected lecturers.
She said: “It’s very disheartening to see and know how much our female students are harassed in universities. Ladies need to learn to speak out and they cannot do this alone unless and until they get the support of fellow students who are males, union leaders to support them against these randy lecturers. Most importantly, our girls need to dress properly so they don’t create such opportunities.”
Mrs. Atiku pointed out that girls are easily influenced by peer pressure and socio- economic challenges, hence the need for parents to protect girls.
A keynote speaker at the event, Deborah Omale, blamed some victims of the scourge for their woes, saying sex-for-marks issue is triggered by lobbying for grades and quest for societal status by some females students.
Omale also blamed quest to catch up with trends of the society and needless financial pressure as factors responsible for some female students offering their bodies for marks.
She said: “sometimes advantages are taken of this female students just because they ask for one favour or other financial assistance from these lecturers. A lot of these issues on sex-for-marks start with the ladies themselves. Most times they see themselves lobbying, they want to be financially independent through wrong means, many of them travel out of school campuses to meet with men across other states for financial gains. On return, they begin to display wealth on campuses through phones, wears and others, and so they don’t have time to study nor sit for test or even examination, hence they are willing and ready to offer their body for marks.”
She called on the National Association of Nigerian students (NANS) to work with unions of female students across campuses to end the menace of sex for grades in universities.
The Project Ambassador who is a Nollywood veteran, Rita Edochie, said the programme was instituted to crown a queen of Nigerian institutions who will stand up as a beacon of hope and voice to the voiceless in universities across Nigeria.
The Convener of the project, Mbanefo Xender, said the 2022 Queen of institutions beauty pageant was organised to fight against sexual exploitation of vulnerable young ladies in higher institutions.
