Education

Bola Tinubu’ll sign anti-sexual harassment bill, Asefon assures students

Published by Fakinlede Tope John on December 17th, 2023.

Bola Tinubu’ll sign anti-sexual harassment bill, Asefon assures students

Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Students Engagement, Sunday Asefon, said that the President would act on the Sexual Harassment Prohibition Bill awaiting signatory on his table.

He made this known in Abuja during a meeting with some students representatives who presented pens to the President through him on Friday.

The students stated that the pens would be used in assenting to the bill in commemoration of the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence.

The meeting was facilitated by the Gender Mobile Initiative, an organisation working to address gender and sexual violence in the education sector.

The presidential aide noted that a collective effort was needed to curb sexual harassment in Nigerian tertiary institutions, adding that the message of the students would be delivered to President Tinubu.

“I receive these pens in good faith and will deliver the message accordingly. I assure you that the President who is our father, will do the needful on this bill,” Asefon said.

Speaking further, he noted, “We’ve heard a lot of cases of sexual harassment by lecturers on female students and the female students with boldness report these cases but because of the lecturers’ influence, the cases are swept under the carpet.

This bill will give judgment to criminalise sexual harassment offenders. I want to assure you that my office will collaborate to renew the fight against sexual harassment and sex-for-marks in our institutions.”

On her part, a former Students Union President at the University of Abuja, Benita Olaniyan, called on the President to prioritise the signing of the bill to stop all forms of abuse and violence in schools.

“The education system is supposed to be a safe place for learning, but students have been harassed and sexually molested.

The students across higher institutions of learning in this country, in their goodwill, have donated these pens to the President and we believe there will be stricter punishment for offenders,” Olaniyan said.