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ASUU, NANS, Rights Groups Clash At Senate Over Sexual Harassment Bill
There was a sharp disagreement, yesterday, between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other women rights advocacy groups at a one-day public hearing on a bill seeking to stop sexual abuse of female students in the nation’s tertiary Institutions.
The bill, christened: The proposed legislation titled, “A Bill for an Act to Prevent, Prohibit and Redress Sexual Harassment of Students in Tertiary Educational Institutions and for other matters connected therewith 2019”, sponsored by Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, APC, Delta Central, was co-sponsored by 105 other senators.
The bill which scaled second reading 6th November, 2019, with 27 clauses, proposes up to 14 years jail term, with a minimum of five years, without an option of fine for any educator who commits sexual offences in tertiary institutions.
The bill defines sexual offences as including: sexual intercourse with a student or demands for sex from a student or a prospective student or intimidating or creating a hostile or offensive environment for the student by soliciting for sex or making sexual advances.
Other forms of sexual harassment identified in the bill are grabbing, hugging, kissing, rubbing, stroking, touching, pinching the breasts or hair or lips or hips or buttocks or any other sensual part of the body of a student; or sending by hand or courier or electronic or any other means naked or sexually explicit pictures or videos or sex related objects to a student, and whistling or winking at a student or screaming, exclaiming, joking or making sexually complimentary or uncomplimentary remarks about a student’s physique or stalking a student.
It would be recalled that the bill was sponsored during the 8th Senate by Senator Ovie Omo- Agege.
Also, recall that six months after it was introduced on the floor of the Senate, the bill that sought to, among others, stop sexual abuse of female students in the nation’s tertiary institutions was passed Thursday, October 27, 2016 by the Red Chamber.
At the public hearing organised by the Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, All Progressives Congress, APC, Ekiti Central led Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, ASUU vehemently rejected the bill, saying that when passed, it would amount to “proliferation” and “repetition” of legislation to make a separate law to check sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.
On the other hand, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and other women rights advocacy groups supported the bill, stressing that the bill would help curb the incidence of sexual harassment in the nation’s Ivory Tower and other higher institutions of learning.
The National President of ASUU, Prof Abiodun Ogunyemi, in his presentation before the committee at the public hearing said that there were already existing laws that can be inadequately amended and strengthened and at the end of the say, nip in the bud, the alarming cases of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.
Ogunyemi, who told the committee that though the university lecturers were not in support of sexual harassment of students by the same lecturers whom the students are under their tutelage, but was buttressing his position with the fact that universities already have mechanisms put in place to handle such cases when the occur.
The ASUU president, who warned against what he described as demonizing or stigmatizing lecturers, said that it would lead to a complete loss of faith in the nation’s institutions, and therefore, promote ignorance in the country, adding that the government never waited for the Sexual Harassment Bill to be passed into law before Prof Richard Akindele of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) accused of the offence was prosecuted and sentenced to jail.
Ogunyemi said: “I am not sure this is not the best of times for academics. If we go the way we are going, very soon nobody would be proud of his or her former teacher. We shall all discredit our teachers and by so doing, we shall also degrade the value and integrity of our certificates.
“Does ASUU support sexual harassment? No, ASUU does not support sexual harassment in any form.
“Are there other problems in the universities that warrant being given immediate attention, I am sure many of us will mention corruption.
“Maybe very soon we will come back to say let’s have a law that focuses on corruption in the universities. Are there laws that address this problem we are concerned with? I think the answer is yes.
“Are there no laws that would address this same problem we are concerned. I think the answer is yes. We have the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act of 2015.
“What does it take to review that Act to ensure that it covers our news areas of concern? That is the poser that we are placing before this Distinguished Senate.
“If we have a law that addresses issues related to this problem of sexual harassment, why are we wasting time talking about another law?
“Are we also going to formulate another law to address corruption in the universities?
“Are we going to formulate another law to address sexual harassment in the policemen in the National Assembly?
“We have a law, the universities autonomy law of 2007, legislated by the National Assembly already made provisions for us to address all of these. We talk of the institutional procedures; these procedures are irreconcilable with prosecution.
“There are aspects that are criminal; immediately such instance happens, we know where to go. Universities are currently handling problems like this and we should not agree with you, we should not discredit our custodians of knowledge.”
On his part, the National President of NANS, who was represented by the Director Research, Strategy, Planning and Documentation, Victor Essien, explained that the power dynamics between students and lecturers predisposes female students to incessant sexual harassment.
According to NANS, a committee set up by the present national executive of the students’ body on assumption of office has so far received over 2,000 complaints of sexual harassment of female students by lecturers, just as he described sexual harassment in tertiary institutions as an epidemic in the form of the Corona Virus Disease (Covid 19) in China.
On their parts, the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Deputy Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Felicia Bassey, Chairman, Nsit Atai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Emem Ibanga, among others, supported the bill.
In his remarks while declaring open the public hearing, President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, who noted that sexual harassment and intimidation was not just a sexual offence but a criminal offence, said that there was need for stakeholders to fashion new resolutions and sanctions to check the menace if the extant laws were not tight enough, adding, “As citizens we must have a common responsibility to fight the menace.”
On his part, Chairman of the committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that parliament exist in the world to continuously make new laws and amend existing ones.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.