Bill against sex-for-marks scales through in Senate

A bill prohibiting sexual harassment of students by educators in Nigeria’s tertiary educational institutions has scaled the crucisl Second Reading in the Senate.

Sponsor of the bill, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who also led debate on the bill, argued that sexual harassment was rife in many higher institutions of learning in Nigeria, hence, the need for a law outlawing the vice.
“Sexual harassment is a vice in our higher institutions. We are using this bill to send a message that enough is enough,” he said.

However, in his contribution, Dino Melaye said sexual harassment was a two-way traffic and argued that some students willfully seduce their lecturers with the aim of getting academic favours.
“I support, wholeheartedly, that this bill be enacted to stand as deterrent to lecturers who take advantage of female students.However, the seductive and provocative dresses of our students, who enter offices of lecturers who have no anointing to resist sexual temptation, should be discouraged.”

In his contribution, Yahaya Aliyu called for a blanket law against sexual harassment instead of one targeted at a section of society.
“If we are to make laws against sexual harassment, we should do it across board. Targeting one section of society is discriminatory,” he said
After listening to the arguments, Senate President, Bukola Saraki put the bill to a voice vote and it received a favourable response.
Afterwards, the bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for more legislative treatment.
The committee was directed to submit its report to the whole house for further consideration within four weeks.