Justin Baldoni's lawyer has spoken out following allegations Blake Lively made about the director of their movie It Ends With Us.
In a legal complaint obtained by E! News Dec. 21 and filed with…
Blake Lively is taking legal action against her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni.
Following months of speculation about a feud between the Gossip Girl star and the Jane the…
Lizzo is saying exactly how she feels.
The “Truth Hurts” singer spoke out about the lawsuit filed against her by three of her former dancers in August 2023—days after she wrapped her Special tour—accusing the star of sexual harassment, weight-shaming and disability discrimination, among other grievances.
“I was literally living in my dream,” Lizzo told Keke Palmer on the Dec. 19 episode of the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast, “and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit.”
The Grammy winner said she was “deeply hurt” by the allegations because the plaintiffs—Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez—were “people that I gave opportunities to.”
“I was like, ‘What?’” she recalled. “But then I heard all the other things like sexual harassment, and I was like, they’re trying—well, I don’t know what they’re trying to do—but these are the types of things that the media can turn into something that it’s not.”
Nollywood actress, Uche Ogbodo continues to drag the fans of May Edochie, calling them “witches” amidst the backlash of blocking their ‘Queen’.
Ogbodo’s harsh words come after some of May’s fans accused her of hypocrisy and even linked her store’s recent burglary to “karma,” following her stance on Yul Edochie’s controversial marriage to Judy Austin.
Frustrated with the continued online backlash, Ogbodo stated that May’s fans have turned into a “toxic and bullying community,” relentlessly insulting her regardless of her position on the Edochie marriage.
The actress criticized the group for their divisive behaviour, claiming they attack anyone who doesn’t outright condemn Yul’s relationship with Judy.
Firm in her stance, Ogbodo made it clear that she won’t dehumanize her industry colleagues or cave to the online pressure. She emphasized her refusal to let harassment dictate her views and accused May’s fans of fostering a culture of bullying.
The actress’s strong response has fueled further debate on social media, with some users supporting her and others condemning her remarks.
“The people I pity are the ignorant women who aren’t Spiritually strong being initiated daily into this Coven through their dreams but the are not aware! In their mind they are fighting a just Course but Spiritually they have being assigned and Sold their Souls to the Devil without knowing! May
God help you all !”
“Nah Blood Sucking Witches unah Be, Una no be God!
May Fan’s my Foot! Y’all need to be called May’s Coven of Witches! Ndi Amusu !”
“I have been quiet for too long, you are beginning to assume me Weak! You Bullied me out of May’s Page and I let you have her all to yourself yet you ain’t happy! Abeg ooo.”
“This rubbish has been on for about 3 years now! It has to stop !
People are built individually and they exhibit different characters!
You can’t dictate my life for me l don’t dictate yours! I make my decisions for me you don’t ! And my Stance remains. I will not Dehumanize my colleagues just make you know I don’t support their decision. These are grown adults I don’t feed them! | already said on whose side I am. If you don’t believe Rest!”
“You support May they insult you, you don’t support May they still insult you !
You support Yul Dey insult you, you still don’t support Yul they still insult you !
You support Judy Dey insult you, you don’t support Judy they still insult you! Isn’t that how Witches operate?
They have TURNED THE INNOCENT WOMAN’s
Supporters into a Witched Coven Hideout ! God have mercy!”
See her posts below …
Dear Honorable Minister Bosun Tijani, as the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, your leadership has been instrumental in advancing Nigeria’s digital landscape through various initiatives aimed at enhancing connectivity and fostering innovation.
You recently set up a five-man ministerial committee to review operational conditions and propose fiscal measures to cushion the impact of macroeconomic pressures on telecommunications operators in Nigeria.Terms of reference for the ministerial committee included considering and proposing incentives to improve backward integration in the telecoms industry with a view to cumulative reductions on the dependence on foreign exchange (FX) for the provisioning of telecoms services in Nigeria, review existing local content strategies for the telecoms sector, to realign all local content initiatives and programs with the programs and policies of the current administration, review fiscal measures with direct or consequential impact on the telecoms industry and propose initiatives that can provide relief to telecoms operators.
Your ambitious goal of achieving 70% digital literacy by 2027, along with projects like the $2 billion Fibre Fund, the Broadband Alliance, and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program — a critical part of the Renewed Hope agenda — are commendable steps toward bridging the connectivity gap across urban and rural areas.
However, I must bring to your attention a pressing issue that threatens to undermine these efforts.
Recent reports in the media indicate that certain high-ranking people in this government are allegedly manipulating and forcing regulatory agencies like the ones in charge of communications, information technology development, and data protection to intimidate and harass companies in telecommunications, technology, and related services.
If this is true, and such an act continues, this behavior not only jeopardizes the integrity of your ministry but also poses a significant risk to the stability of Nigeria’s economy.
In this context, protecting tech companies from undue harassment is essential for fostering economic resilience and ensuring that investments translate into jobs and opportunities for Nigerians. The telecommunications sector is particularly vital for driving innovation and connectivity across all sectors of the economy.
Minister Tijani, your leadership is crucial in safeguarding the integrity of regulatory agencies. I urge you to take a firm stance against these practices. Ensuring that these agencies operate free from political interference will not only protect businesses but also restore trust among stakeholders in the telecommunications sector.
Moreover, your initiatives—such as expanding broadband access through the Fiber Fund and enhancing existing infrastructure via the Broadband Alliance—are critical for creating an environment where innovation can thrive. By reinforcing these efforts with a commitment to ethical governance, you can help ensure that Nigeria’s digital economy flourishes without being hindered by internal sabotage.
The stakes are high, and your role is pivotal in shaping a conducive environment for innovation and growth. By standing firm against misuse of power within your ministry, you can help ensure that Nigeria’s economic recovery is both robust and sustainable.
I trust that you will rise to this challenge with integrity and determination.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday resolved to consider the bills seeking to prevent, prohibit and redress sexual harassment of Students in Tertiary Educational Institutions and for and for related matters to the Committee of the Whole.
The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of the motion sponsored by Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Francis Waive who underscored the need to re-commit the bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.
According to him, The House notes that pursuant to Order Twelve, Rule 17 of the Standing Orders, the House may, upon being re-gazetted or circulated, reconsider in the Committee of the Whole, without commencing de-novo, the Bill(s) (a) whose report was presented by the Committee before consideration: (b) passed by the House and forwarded to the Senate for concurrence for which no concurrence was made or negative; (c) passed by the Senate and forwarded to the House for which no concurrence was made or negative; (d) passed by the preceding Assembly and forwarded to the President for assent but for which assent or withholding therefore was not communicated before the end of the tenure of the preceding Assembly.
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“The House also notes that the under-listed Bills were passed by the preceding Assembly and forwarded to the President for assent but for which assent or withholding thereof was not communicated before the end of the tenure of the last Assembly.
The bill was sponsored by the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Akin Rotimi.
This Bill is enacted to promote and protect ethical standards in tertiary education, the sanctity of the student-educator relationship in the tertiary educational institutions across the country.
It also seeks to ensure dependency, trust and respect for human dignity in tertiary educational institutions by providing for protection of students against sexual harassment by educators in tertiary educational institutions; prevention of sexual harassment of students by educators in tertiary educational institutions; and redress of complaints of sexual harassment of students by educators in tertiary educational institutions.
As stipulated in the proposed bill, institution means any public or private tertiary or post-secondary educational institution in Nigeria and this includes any university, polytechnic, monotechnic, or college of education.
It also defined sexual intercourse as “penetration of a sexual nature of the vagina or anus or mouth of the student by the penis or mouth or finger of the educator or any instrument or toy by the educator and for this purpose, a male student can be sexually harassed by a female educator.”
The student according to the bill, refers to any person enrolled in any educational or training programs of a tertiary educational institution or post-secondary institution.
Hundreds of residents, including community leaders, youths and the elderly of Ezinano Community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, have expressed fear over the invasion of their community by heavily armed security operatives.
The residents, who spoke with journalists on Sunday, said they were living in fear as the security operatives continued to harass and intimidate them unabated over disputed land in the community.
Our correspondent gathered that the disputed land is between the people of Ezinano community and a neighbouring community (name withheld), both in Awka South LGA. Both communities are laying claims to the disputed land.
Speaking in separate interviews, the residents said there was tension in the community on Saturday when heavily armed men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the state police command, invaded the area and started shooting without notice.
In a video seen on social media by our correspondent on Sunday, the residents were seen scampering to safety while they narrated how they were hearing gunshots from their various houses.
This development, according to them, followed the siege on their community land by the heavily armed men of the state police command.
A community leader, who identified himself as Uchenna, said, “The ugly shooting incident occurred on Friday and Saturday on the disputed land between the people of Ezinano community and our neighbouring community both in the same council area.
“If not for the quick intervention of the Commissioner of Police, Obono Nnaghe Itam, who ordered that all the parties leave the scene immediately, there could have been a possible bloodbath.
“The leaders, women and youths of Ezinano community had stormed their ancestral land which the other community is also laying claim to as their own, only to be confronted by several plain-clothes operatives who laid siege to the area.
“Trouble started when the people of Ezinano community arrived at their land on hearing that members of the other community had started erecting perimeter fences, erosion channels/gutter and other structures on the land without recourse to the pending case in court, but only to deploy police to the area to perfect their heinous crimes.”
It was learnt that the Ezinano people on arrival at the disputed land were ordered by the police operatives to leave the land or be sent to their early graves, a development which prompted them to raise the alarm and urgently called on Nnaghe Itam for their rescue and to wade into the matter.
The people, during the stalemate, protested the police invasion of their land.
A farmer and resident of the community, Gloria Chiama, called on the relevant authorities to caution the police, saying, “The police do not meddle in matters of a land dispute between communities and individuals rather they maintain law and order.”
PUNCH Metro reports that elders and leaders of the Ezinano community had earlier written a petition dated September 11, 2024, to the chairman of the Police Service Commission, which was copied to the Presidency, Inspector General of Police, Complaint Response Unit of the Police Force Headquarters Abuja and Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, against a senior police officer over alleged meddlesomeness on the same land.
When contacted on the development, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State command, Tochukwu Ikenga, urged the leaders and people of Ezinano community to come forward with their complaints to the police in the state.
Ikenga said, “We are aware of what is going on there and the CP is intervening in the matter. The Ezinano people, if they have any other issue, they should come straight to the command, they have the numbers of the Commissioner of Police and they have my number. If they have any issue, they can come to the command and lay their complaints.”
A group of traders from the Aguiyi Ironsi International Market Traders Association in Ladipo, Mushin, Lagos State, have petitioned the Lagos State Government over alleged harassment, intimidation, and threats to their lives by the market’s executives and task force committee.
This was contained in a petition dated July 25, 2024, addressed to the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday.
In the petition signed by their lawyer, Liborous Oshoma, the traders claimed that they had been in the market for over a decade and had participated in the previous elections to select their market leaders.
They, however, lamented over issues arising from the election of the market executive which led to the issuing of identity cards to traders.
The traders accused the executive, led by Mr. Chukwuma Onyebinamma aka Ikukuoma, of conspiring to disenfranchise them and manipulate the upcoming election.
“The current chairman, Onyebinamma, to prolong his tenure, has now decided and further imposed it on members of the association that only owners of the Identity Cards would be accepted as valid voters during the upcoming election and that only the said owners of ID cards would be allowed entrance to attend meetings held by the association, a decision believed to be favourable to his administration.
“Concerns have been raised about the potential for manipulation, as several individuals reported issues during registration where unknown persons were already registered using their shop numbers.”
While noting that the existing constitution of their association made no provision for voting solely through ID cards, the traders explained that elections were conducted by visiting each shop and allowing the rightful owners to cast their votes thereby ensuring a fair and transparent process.
The traders alleged that the introduction of the ID card had led to harassment, intimidation, and physical assault by the task force committee, adding that the executive selectively issued the ID cards to their supporters while withholding them from non-supporters.
They also claimed that the individuals enforcing the use of the ID cards reportedly wield machetes, intimidate and physically assault traders in the market.
They said the most recent of the incidents occurred on July 18, 2024, when some of the members of the association were denied access during their monthly meeting despite identifying themselves.
“One of them in an attempt to clarify that he had not received the identity card which he had already paid for was attacked by one individual who forcefully removed and confiscated his medicated eyeglasses, which aid his vision.
The complainants revealed that several petitions concerning these events had been consistently filed to the appropriate authorities responsible for peace and orderliness, but they had repeatedly been compromised.
The traders urged the Lagos State Government to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the matter and ensure that peace and security were maintained within the market and society. They also requested the prosecution of those indicted in the investigation.
Reacting, Onyebinamma denied the allegations, saying the use of ID cards was binding by the constitution.
He added that the decision was agreed on by members of the association.
He said, “According to our constitution, what makes you a member of the association is the payment of annual dues. The association takes money from there and does the ID cards. This is what makes you a member. All of us agreed and people paid. And we started last year September that anyone who did not pay the dues would not attend our meeting. I have the ID cards of my successors and this has been the practice in the market.
“Also, we don’t use ID cards for elections, what we use is a voter’s card, and once you have your ID card after paying your annual dues, you will be eligible to get a voter card to vote in an election. I was also not aware of what happened when the machete was used at the gate. It was my task force chairman who came to report to me that it was some members of the group of people against my administration who brought it to the market. The task force in the market only uses canes, not machetes.”
A non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD), has condemned the excessive harassment and wanton brutality that the Nigerian security agencies meted out to journalists covering the #EndBadGovernance protests that hit the country from August 1.
Bayero Agabi, the president of CECAD, raised this concern in a statement he issued yesterday following attacks and crude brutality the security operatives inflicted on several journalists in Abuja, the nation‘s capital.
The CECAD boss was particularly irked by the beating and dehumanisation of Mr Hilary Damissah, an editor at DigiVation Network, who was an unfortunate victim of the protest after being molested and left with injuries around under the Berger Bridge location in the city.
According to Agabi, Mr Damissah was rattled by the use of tear gas at close range from a stationed Police Hilux van while trying to take photographs of some protesters and onlookers, which the officers considered offensive to them.
“While trying to scamper to safety, he was further assaulted, including the use of a baton to bruise him as he sustained serious injury and a deep cut on his pointer finger,“ Agabi said.
He condemned the action of the police and their fellow sister security bodies, describing it as „disgraceful, distasteful and a violation of international conventions which guarantees the protection of the rights of journalists even in the most severe crises or war situations.“
He further said, „The action of the government security personnel is a complete act of human rights violations which contradicts best global policing practices“, even as he called on the Inspector general of police to bring to book officers found wanting in the abuse and molestation of journalists especially on the line of duty.
Agabi added that the commitment of journalists to social courses is already a selfless service which exposes them to many hazards in their duty while also describing media professionals as partners in progress with law enforcement operatives.
The brutalised journalist, Damissah, reportedly managed to scupper to a safe place with the help of some protesters while gasping for breath as he was afterwards rushed to a medical facility in the Kaura District area of Abuja for medication.
According to an eye witness, the journalist was unfortunate because some moments before the incident, a combined team of the Nigerian Police and that of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had informed some of the protesters that the Berger location was not opened or approved for any anti-government protest.
According to the security personnel, such an action would be resisted for what they described as „order from above“. „We are here to enforce the law and ensure strict compliance to all the directives which forbid any demonstration around this place, and anyone who refuses to obey will have themselves to blame“, retorted a senior Police Officer whose name tag was not displayed on his uniform the eye witness stated.
In a related development, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja security operatives moved into the venue of the hunger protest in an attempt to force the protesters to disperse. The masked official mounted a post strategically near one of the main entrances to the stadium.
After a while, the protesters regrouped, but this time around, the security forces fired gunshots into the air and used tear gas to disperse the crowd and, in the process, arrested some protesters and journalists, some of whom were later released upon self-identification.
This hard and uncivil stance of the security personnel was developed after Christopher Musa, the chief of Defence Staff, threatened that the military would take action if the protests got out of hand.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, has directed an immediate investigation into the harassment of a News Central reporter by thugs while covering a protest in the Ojota area of the state.
The thugs had demanded that the reporter leave the area.
According to a statement released by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, on X.com, the commissioner has tasked the investigating team with identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators.
The investigation was prompted by an official complaint filed by the News Central crew, led by Managing Director, Kayode Akintemi, at the police command headquarters in Ikeja on Tuesday.
The PPRO wrote, “The Commissioner of Police @LagosPoliceNG, CP Adegoke Fayoade, has ordered an immediate investigation into this incident. He mandated the investigating team to fish out the miscreants and ensure their prosecution accordingly.
“He gave this directive today when the crew involved, led by News Central MD, #KayodeAkintemi, submitted an official complaint letter at the command headquarters, Ikeja.”
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The Abia State University, Uturu, has suspended a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Dr. Udochukwu Ndukwe, for three months following allegations of sexual harassment against a female student.
A letter signed by the school’s registrar, Dr Acho Elendu, dated July 30, 2024, and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday, stated that Ndukwe would be investigated and would lose half of his pay “in line with the University Conditions of Service pending the conclusion of the investigation for which a panel has been set up.”
The letter described the suspended lecturer’s actions as an “embarrassment” to the The disgraced lecturer, our correspondent learnt, had repeatedly been accused of sexually harassing, intimidating and extorting female students of the department.
A viral social media video obtained by PUNCH Metro on Thursday showed the lecturer on his knees, being interrogated by several individuals in a room.
Ndukwe was, our correspondent gathered, allegedly set up by a final-year female student whom he was accused of continuously sexually harassing and intimidating.
PUNCH Metro investigations revealed that to expose the predatory lecturer, a female student he had allegedly been harassing for over two years collaborated with others to set him up at a popular hotel in Umuahia, where he was caught pants down, pleading not to be exposed.
Our correspondent also noted in the viral short video that the lecturer’s lips were bloodied and he had visible bruises.
According to the letter, a panel has been established to further investigate the suspended lecturer “pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
He said, “Following the disturbing online video clip involving you, trending on social media, which has brought embarrassment to Abia State University, the Vice-Chancellor, on behalf of the Governing Authorities, has approved your immediate suspension from duty for three months, in the first instance, with half salary, in line with the University Conditions of Service pending the conclusion of the investigation for which a panel has been set up.
“You are to hand over any university property in your possession to your Head of Department.
“By this notice, all relevant authorities of the university are to note, for strict compliance.”
All attempts by PUNCH Metro to get a reaction from the university registrar regarding the suspension were unsuccessful, as his mobile telephone number went unanswered on Thursday, and he had not responded to a text message sent as of the time this report was filed.
Transport workers in some parts of Lagos State have raised the alarm over alleged continuous harassment and extortion by officials of Operation MESA.
OP MESA is a joint internal security operational platform made up of the Nigerian Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Facilitated by the Lagos State Government, they operate in synergy with the police in crime fighting across the state.
The transport workers who comprised tricycle and motorcycle riders in Shasha, Idimu, Ejigbo, and Ikotun areas said the officials move around their parks in branded pick-up vans to carry out the act.
According to them, the military men who were always armed often threatened to shoot their members if they delayed in providing the money.
Some of their leaders who spoke to PUNCH Metro said efforts to escalate the development to authorities had yielded no result.
A leader in one of the parks who identified himself simply as Alhaji Tafa said, “This is not the first time we are raising the alarm over the activities of these OP MESA officials across our parks but the state authorities don’t seem to care. They come and forcefully collect money from us at least twice a day. They also come with their vans and rifles, demanding money from us. When we complained about them, they stopped bringing their vans. They park them somewhere and come on motorcycles to conceal their identities.”
The middle-aged man said after a while, they started to bring their vans again and they became more violent.
Another executive member who asked not to be named for security purposes said their actions had compounded the harsh economic conditions of the transport workers.
He said, “We have had cases where our members may not have earned much after resuming work, but once the OP MESA officials arrive, they care less about that.”
They want money, and while we try to explain to them, they start to harass us, insisting that we must provide the money even if it takes borrowing it. That is very unfair. We yield to their requests because of the guns they carry because we have heard of cases where some got killed by them. ”
It was gathered that the military men had often manhandled the transport workers in the process, leaving them injured.
Some were also said to have been given different punishments such as forcing them to lie in the drainage.
While calling on the authorities to take active steps, a tricycle rider said their action might lead to the breakdown of law and order if not quickly curtailed.
He said, “All we want from the state and military authorities is to listen to our outcry and not allow this situation to go out of hand.”
Recently, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, raised the alarm over the spate of sexual harassment in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools.
This is a confirmation of an earlier report by the anti-graft agency that between 2012 and 2022, there were 17 cases of sexual harassment in secondary schools. The report also claimed that paedophilia is becoming pervasive in the society.
In a survey conducted in 2018 by the World Bank, 70 per cent of graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions are said to have been sexually abused, with the main culprits being lecturers. In August 2023, a lecturer at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Dr Cyril Ndifon, was suspended by the institution following a protest by his students, alleging that he had subjected them to various forms of sexual harassment. He had been suspended for similar reasons in 2015 after a final-year student accused him of raping her in his office. Ndifon is currently on trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
On July 7, 2020, the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate, passed the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill into law. It was eventually passed by the House of Representatives in 2022. By 2023, both chambers of the National Assembly jointly passed the bill. The law seeks to promote and protect girls against sexual harassment in tertiary institutions.
Unfortunately, despite efforts by the Nigerian government to tackle this menace through implementing various policies and legislations, the unwholesome act persists. Sexual harassment, hitherto known to be more prevalent in higher institutions of learning, has now become a nagging issue in primary and secondary schools. Sadly, the girls find themselves at the mercy of both the teachers and their fellow pupils.
A United States of America’s findings in 2021 revealed a disturbing trend of sexual harassment across secondary schools in Nigeria. The report called for urgent measures to address the menace before it gets out of control.
Indecent dressing among female students has been blamed as a major factor driving sexual harassment in tertiary institutions. Sex for grade is another factor in tertiary institutions where male lecturers take undue advantage of their female students.
In the opinion of this newspaper, sexual harassment will continue to be a problem in Nigerian schools if the mode of dressing of girls is given as an excuse for the illicit act. Blaming the victim will cause the perpetrators to evade justice. What can we say about primary and secondary school children fully clad in their school uniforms? Do they also dress provocatively?
The culture of letting offenders go scot-free without stiff penalty or punishment has continued to embolden perpetrators of this unacceptable act against the female gender.
We recall that the federal government, in 2019, launched its first National Sex Offender Register to name and shame perpetrators of this unwholesome act across the country. One state that has been in the forefront of naming and shaming sexual offenders is Lagos.
Only 10 out of 36 states, including the FCT, have adopted the law, while the remaining states are still struggling to implement it. The states are Lagos, Ekiti, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Edo, Kaduna, Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa. Only four states—Lagos, Ekiti, Akwa-Ibom, and Edo—have so far published full details of the offenders. Sadly, these registers are not updated regularly, thereby defeating the aim for which it was implemented in the first place.
The lack of stringent laws to prosecute offenders is apparently the reason why perpetrators of this evil act have taken it a notch higher by sexually harassing innocent primary and secondary school students. In 2021 and 2022, two prominent private secondary schools in Abuja and Lagos, respectively, made headlines when parents called out the school authorities over allegations of rape by teachers of the school.
Despite overwhelming evidence against the authorities, the schools involved refuted the allegations. According to a recent report, sexual harassment is forcing many Nigerian girls out of secondary schools, contributing to the already alarming figure of out-of-school children, especially among girls.
This newspaper thinks that if the government is serious about combating this shameful act, it must compel other states to domesticate the law and follow the lead of Lagos, Edo and Ekiti, which are notable for naming and shaming sex offenders to properly document the culprits.
We also believe urgent steps must be taken to curb this problem. Everyone has a role to play in addressing sexual harassment of young children in schools. Systems should be created that allow students to report incidents anonymously.
Perpetrators, no matter how highly placed, must be brought to justice. Serious situations such as sexual harassment are often ignored and sometimes treated as a joke. This is unacceptable!
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Dr. Musa Aliyu has lamented rise in incidents of sexual harassment in primary and secondary schools across the country.
Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted that until there are heavy consequences against offenders, the menace would continue to be on the increase.
He said a major way to decisively address the situation was through “a consistent, persistent, focused, and united campaign.”
The ICPC boss spoke at a one-day national stakeholders engagement on sexual harassment prevention organised by the Commission in collaboration with a Non-Governmental Organisation, the Gender Mobile Initiative and Ford Foundation in Abuja on Tuesday.
The stakeholders engagement is aimed at ensuring that the Model Policy for Tertiary Institutions does not end up like many others that needed to be adequately implemented.
Aliyu, while stating that sexual harassment and other related societal ills including gender discrimination were tarnishing Nigeria’s reputation, said that “Only a consistent, persistent, focused and united campaign can ensure that the challenge of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions is decisively addressed.”
He recalled that the ICPC had a few years ago, in line with its commitment to addressing all forms of corruption, including abuse of office via sexual harassment, with the support of the Ford Foundation, executed a project aimed at curbing this societal malaise.
He said: “One of the expected outcomes of that project was the drafting of model anti-sexual harassment policies for various levels of educational institutions.
“It is sadly interesting to note that sexual harassment, though more notorious in tertiary institutions, is quite rampant in primary and secondary institutions, too.”
He disclosed that the Commission in the spirit of partnership, engaged the Gender Mobile Initiative to draft a model policy for tertiary institutions adding that the Federal Ministry of Education approved the policies of the primary and tertiary institutions.
He said: “The policies are not necessarily meant to be adopted word for word by stakeholders. Instead, it is expected that although they may be adopted wholly by any institution that so desires, they should serve as guidelines for what a comprehensive policy should contain.”
The ICPC boss, however, warned participants to always keep in mind that anyone, irrespective of status, designation, or gender, staff or student, can be a victim of sexual harassment.
“Likewise, anyone could be a perpetrator. It is a notorious fact that Nigeria has so many laws and policies, but many of them are not being correctly implemented. Therefore, proper implementation of the model policies cannot be over-emphasised. The success of this initiative largely depends on the active participation and commitment of stakeholders like you,” he added.
Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye said the Federal Government was putting measures in place to tackle the menace through the establishment of mobile courts for speedy prosecution of the perpetrators to face justice.
The minister said sexual harassment was not relegated to tertiary institutions alone but even in primary and secondary schools often carried out by teachers and sometimes among pupils.
She said the Ministry would also collaborate with hotel owners to deny underaged children access to such facilities and for such situations to be reported to the nearest security agency.
She urged all stakeholders to rise to the challenge by ensuring that sexual harassment was brought to the barest minimum to address the problems of the stigmatisation and low self-esteem among victims.
The Founder and Executive Director of Gender Mobile Initiative, Omowumi Ogunrotimi said that the organisation realised that it was really important for stakeholders to think about a preventive framework rather than a response framework.
She said: “That is why we are in collaboration with ICPC to see that the policy we designed together, and this policy I would say, will be a product of extensive community engagement.
“As far back as 2019, 2020, we had a national conference where we validated this policy with a critical mass of stakeholders in the room across the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education NBTE, and even the student community.
“We have NANs female wing which means that this particular process is all-inclusive. So that it centers on leadership, participation, aspiration, and experiences of persons who are mostly affected by the structural inequity, and that is the student community.
“We really look to move this forward from here because we know in Nigeria when policies are made, they do not automatically translate into implementation.”
Over 25 Commissioners of Education attended the stakeholders engagement.
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