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The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege has described sex for grades in Nigeria tertiary institutions as an extraordinary harm, that negatively impacts the standards of education in the tertiary institutions.
The Senator representing the Delta State Central Senatorial District made this known on Saturday while speaking at “Sofadondo” 2023 National Conference held in Abuja, themed Sex For Marks And Marks For Sex, Establishing The Change Mantra For National Growth And Development
Omo-Agege asserted that harassment instils fear and fear has no place in the world of intellectualism. Urging male lecturers to zip up and uphold the ethics of their profession.
He querries that if students are unable to express themselves because lecturers are mean, fraudulent, lecherous, manipulating and self-seeking, predatory, wicked, and uncaring, then where will innovations come from?
“Without question, the scourge of sexual harassment with its obnoxious sub-culture of sex for grades in our tertiary institutions is an extraordinary harm that negatively impacts the standards of education in our tertiary institutions.
“The sexual harassment law protects the right of students to learn peaceably deprived of any form of harassment. Without any doubt, our students, especially daughters and wives, deserve tertiary learning environments devoid of sexual harassment.
“The essence of university education are to expose students to new research and technology. Studying at a university encourages creative and independent thought, which could bring about positive socioeconomic transformation in society.
“Higher institutions retain the singular ability to transform this nation for greater developmental exploits, because that is where the base of our most productive youths reside. They represent the hope of our salvation for national growth and development.
“Harassment instils fear and fear has no place in the world of intellectualism. If students are unable to express themselves because lecturers are mean, fraudulent, lecherous, manipulating and self-seeking, predatory, wicked, and uncaring, then where will innovations come from? Through such a process, the lecturers will promote those who are undeserving, elevate the mediocre and frustrate brilliant students.
“We cannot afford to keep churning out ill-prepared and cowed graduates, because they go through various forms of harassment and are not allowed to study in an atmosphere devoid of fear In such circumstances, their productivity will be suboptimal and cannot help in national growth and development.
“University education is a serious business that requires commitment and focus. We therefore, need to create a new paradigm for university education in the country We need to change the objective of education so that we work towards productivity, we must see our children inventing and innovating things and taking control of their own future and the future of the country.
“We should all come together to put a stop to the negative menace of sexual harassment, because of the dangerous consequences of lowering academic standards in our educational institutions.
“It is now the responsibility of every Nigerian to fight this tyranny on campuses. Society itself needs to deliberately give proper orientation to our children. There is the need to break the culture of silence bome out of stigmatization.
“The more people speak out about this evil and call out its perpetrators, the more we liberate Nigeria’s youth from bondage and ensure the country’s future. This will also activate the legal and judicial system, which is not just largely untested but also overdue for an overhaul to take care of this menace.
“I also call on journalists, human rights activists, and indeed all stakeholders to be part of this fight. I urge male lecturers to zip up and uphold the ethics of their profession. They should not hesitate to cry out in good time when experiencing any pressure from any female student whether directly or indirectly
The President of SofaDonDo Advocacy Group, Dr. Albert Obiora Obiozor in his remark said sofadondo is a non-profit organization founded with the aim of battling the scourge of sexual predation in our institutions of learning.
Açcording to Dr. Albert, the association was founded in 2018 by a handful of people but has since grown in leaps and bounds to over 500 members and over 10 chapters in different states of Nigeria and oversea.
“It is my pleasure to note that we have made a reasonable contribution towards our mission by creating awareness of this menace across the country. And it is a testament to our success to be able to convene this 2nd national conference which boasts of very distinguished speakers Despite these strides there is still a lot of work to be done in our bid to change the culture of silence that prevents students from speaking up,” he added.
However, the group National Coordinator, Hannah Edim Etta, PHD said the group is out to advocate against this menace from Secondary school to the highest level. Citing a case of a secondary school student that was been threatened by a teacher that she will not pass her WAEC.
“We are registered organisation with a commitment to be the voice of the voiceless, the vulnerable, the oppressed and the downtrodden against all forms of sexual harassment. Our goal is to advocate for justice, fairness and engender a safer society. We are also committed to sensitize the society on the dangers of molestation, intimidation and sexual harassment and stand against same in our institutions of learning and society at large.
“We also advocate against the abuse of power, authority and intimidation of citizens by anyone in authority especially against the innocent, oppressed and indigent members of the society.
“Sofadondo would bring to the public sphere cases of such intimidation and harassment, help find lasting solutions and in the process, will strive to hold accountable the perpetrators,” she noted.
