By Uzair Adam Imam
Ovie Omo-Agege, the Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, has decried the worrisome development of ‘sex for grades’ rocking the tertiary institutions in Nigeria today, urging the male lecturers to zip up trousers.
The senator representing Delta State described the development as an “extraordinary harm that negatively impacts the standard of education.”
The Daily Trust reported that Omo-Agege made the disclosure Saturday, August 20, 2022, at Sofadondo 2023 National Conference in Abuja.
The conference was themed; “Sex For Marks And Marks For Sex, Establishing The Change Mantra For National Growth And Development”.
Omo-Agege asserted that harassment instils fear, and fear has no place in the world of intellectualism.
He added, “Without question, the scourge of sexual harassment with its obnoxious sub-culture of sex for grades in our tertiary institutions is extraordinary harm that negatively impacts the standards of education in our tertiary institutions.
“The sexual harassment law protects the right of students to learn peaceably deprived of any form of harassment. Without any doubt, our students, especially daughters and wives, deserve tertiary learning environments devoid of sexual harassment.
“The essence of university education is to expose students to new research and technology. Studying at a university encourages creative and independent thought, which could bring about positive socioeconomic transformation in society.
“Higher institutions retain the singular ability to transform this nation for greater developmental exploits because that is where the base of our most productive youths reside. They represent the hope of our salvation for national growth and development.
“Harassment instils fear, and fear has no place in the world of intellectualism. If students are unable to express themselves because lecturers are mean, fraudulent, lecherous, manipulating and self-seeking, predatory, wicked, and uncaring, then where will innovations come from?
“Through such a process, the lecturers will promote those who are undeserving, elevate the mediocre and frustrate brilliant students.
“University education is a serious business that requires commitment and focus. We, therefore, need to create a new paradigm for university education in the country. We need to change the objective of education so that we work towards productivity. We must see our children inventing and innovating things and taking control of their own future and the future of the country.
“It is now the responsibility of every Nigerian to fight this tyranny on campuses. Society itself needs to deliberately give proper orientation to our children. There is a need to break the culture of silence come out of stigmatization.
The more people speak out about this evil and call out its perpetrators, the more we liberate Nigeria’s youth from bondage and ensure the country’s future. This will also activate the legal and judicial system, which is not just largely untested but also overdue for an overhaul to take care of this menace.
“I also call on journalists, human rights activists, and indeed all stakeholders to be part of this fight. I urge male lecturers to zip up and uphold the ethics of their profession. They should not hesitate to cry out in good time when experiencing any pressure from any female student, whether directly or indirectly,” he stated.
