A coalition of Civil Society Organisations under the auspices of Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy, ASHA, has commended the 9th National Assembly over the passage of the Sexual Harassment of Students in Tertiary Educational Institutions (Prohibition) bill, 2023.
The commendation is contained in statement signed by the Executive-Director of the lead CSO, Center for Awareness on Justice and Accountability, CAJA, Kabiru Dakata, on Friday.
The consortium of civil society organizations commended the Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, the sponsor of the Bill, for his relentless efforts towards making sure the Bill sees the light of the day.
“We specifically appreciate the unrelenting efforts of the sponsor of the bill Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege who presented the bill to both the 8th and the 9th assemblies, and he remained committed up to the level of its passage.
“Similarly, we commend the efforts of all stakeholders specially the Civil Society Organizations, media, students` associations, who have struggled to ensure the passage of the bill,” the statement added.
The CSOs, therefore, appealed to President Bola Ahmad Tinubu to “quickly assent to the bill to became a law”.
Mr Dakata said: “We are appealing to Mr. President, Sen. Bola Ahmad Tinubu, who assumed duty after been duly elected by the majority of Nigerian students because of his passion for education, youth empowerment and economic development, to quickly assent to the bill to became a law.
“This commitment will not only be a significant milestone in his first 100-days in office as president but will also boost the confidence of students, parents, educationists and everyone working to address the menace of sexual exploitation, harassment and abuses in our tertiary educational institutions.”
The consortium of civil society organizations comprises Village Debbo Initiative, Connected Development, Sefjamil Media and Development, Women’s Right and Health Advocacy Project, Gender Mobile Initiative, Youth Alive Foundation and Joint Association of People with Disability.
The cluster is working to contribute in addressing the prevalence of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
