Follow Us on Google
By Gabriel Dike
The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, has called for collaboration and partnership from value adding organisations that would bring about capacity building to the institution.
Olatunji-Bello made the call when a team from a Non-Governmental Organisation, Women At Risk International Foundation (WARIF) paid her a courtesy visit at the Senate Building, Main Campus, Ojo, at the end of a one-day training for leaders of students’ union/ associations across faculties, schools and departments.
The VC, who was represented by the Deputy VC (administration), thanked the team, led by her founder, Dr. Kemi Dasilva-Ibru, for coming to train the students’ leaders and called for collaboration as well as partnership, which she believed would go a long way in having positive impact on the participants.
“We warmly welcome the WARIF team. Thank you for the training given to our young students’ leaders, but, we ask for more of such collaborations and partnership, in form of training, seminars and more, not only for students, but, members of staff, ” she ended.
The founder of WARIF, Dr. Dasilva-Ibru, in her response, said more of such collaborations would continue, stating that she was impressed with the level of engagement and interaction by the participants at the one-day training, which took place at the hallowed chamber of the Lagos State University Students’ Union (LASUSU) Arcade.
She appreciated the university management and the Centre for Response and Prevention of Sexual Gender-Based Violence (CRPSGV), LASU for giving the foundation the enabling environment for the training.
Earlier, at the training for the students’ leaders, the acting Director of CRPSG, Dr. Igot Ofem, represented by the Assistant Director, Gender-Based Violence, Dr. Samod Lawal-Arogundade, applauded Prof. Olatunji-Bello and the management for the unflinching support given to the centre as well as the approval for the one+day training.
“Sexual and gender-based violence is a serious problem in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and students’ leaders have a role to play at joining the ongoing efforts of the university through the CRPSGV to confront an end to gender-based violence on our campus,” she averred.
Armed with, statistics, Dr. Ofem explained that one in every five students experience gender-based violence at one time or the other during their sojourn in the university before graduation, adding that some had been raped, some sexually harassed, while, others had been abused physically, emotionally as well as verbally.
” Yet survivors are enduring in silence, afraid to speak up, either because of stigmatization, fear of not being believed, lack of confidence in the reporting system or fear of delayed justice and perpetrators accountability.
“Gender-based violence in LASU does not only affect the survivor alone, it affects all of us, it affects our integrity and productivity. The passionate response of the university has been that of zero tolerance to sexual and gender-based violence, “she insisted.
At the end of the training, the participants agreed that there must be a strong legislation to tackle the menace and advised victims to always speak out while they are violated.
The students also requested that the identities of whistle blowers must not be revealed for safety reasons.
