Students Kick Against NASS After Failure To Pass Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill

An alliance of over 1,000 Nigerian students has kicked against the failure of the National Assembly to pass the anti-sexual harassment bill into law, describing it as the height of injustice.

The bill is called the ‘Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education Institutions Bill, 2019’ and proposes up to a 14-year jail term for offenders. It was first sponsored in 2016 by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and 106 senators.

The bill got to the third reading in the Senate and was passed, after which it was sent to the House of Representatives for concurrence. The House also passed the bill after the Third Reading in February 2022.

However, former president Muhammadu Buhari never assented to the bill before the end of his tenure last month.

The students, in a statement made available to journalists, stated that according to investigations they carried out, the bill never reached the President for assent until he eventually left office.

They described sexual harassment within tertiary institutions as a problem and a setback to educational development in Nigeria, urging that the new administration do what is necessary to protect Nigerian students.

The students petitioned Omo-Agege, demanding that he facilitate the passage of the bill.

Some of the students who endorsed the statement include Idoko Felicia Ehicohwoicho (University of Abuja); Ayodele Ayishat Ajoke (University of Ilorin); Adedoja Oluwatobi Emmanuel (University of Lagos); Princess Deborah Omosuyi (UNILAG); Enahoro Osadebhamie Emmanuella (Caleb University).

Others who also endorsed the statement were Aduloju Oluwanifesimi (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife); Ayodele Salaudeen (University of Ibadan); Olajide Oluwaseun (Yaba College of Technology); Omem Tusuro Dilli (Federal University Wukari, Taraba State); Abdullahi Ikimot (Federal University Oye Ekiti); Latifat Akinyemi (Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin); and Akinlabi Abosede Marvellous (Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Ogun State).

The statement read in part, “It has, however, unfortunately, been long overlooked in terms of an enduring long-term solution. It is a great concern that this Bill has been abandoned and the current administration should do the needful to protect the dignity of students. We were worried that the Deputy Senate President has not been able to follow through with this very important bill.

“Reports show that the Presidency has not received this Bill. According to a 2018 World Bank Survey, 70 percent of female graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions had been sexually harassed in school.

“The Senate reintroduced the sexual harassment Bill in 2019 and later passed it. However, as of today, the National Assembly has failed to do the needful to transmit the Bill to Mr President. The implication of this is that if it’s not passed during this 9th Assembly, the Bill has to be reintroduced fresh during the 10th Assembly.”

They called on the National Assembly to take steps to get the bill to the Presidency.