An International Non-governmental Organization, the Onyebuchi Chris Ifediora (OCI) Foundation has commended the Nigerian 9th National Assembly for passing into law the Bill seeking to mandate authorities of Secondary Schools and Colleges of Education across Nigeria to include lessons on how to prevent Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in their curriculum for students.
The Bill, titled, “Mandatory Inclusion of Preventive Measures on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence into the Curriculum of all levels of Secondary Schools in Nigeria Bill, 2023”, was one of the two legislated bills initiated by the OCI Foundation in 2022. The other Bill, which has also passed both chambers of the NASS and is awaiting Presidential assent, aims to integrate anti-breast and anti-cervical cancer teachings into the regular teachings of all Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools and Colleges of Education.
The SGBV Bill was passed at the plenary presided over by Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
Reacting to the development, the President of the OCI Foundation, the Australian-based Prof. Chris Ifediora, expressed gratitude to the Ninth National Assembly, for this piece of legislation, which he described as a landmark achievement for Nigeria, noting that it is a major breakthrough in the efforts to curtail sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) which has had damaging impacts on Nigerian youths, particularly the female folk.
"The OCI Foundation is grateful to the Ninth National Assembly, to the Senate, to the House of Representatives, particularly the Bill’s Sponsor, Hon. Prof. Julius O. Ihonvbere, who took on this Bill and went all the way with it. He thanked him for believing in the dream of the OCI Foundation to get this done.
"We are also grateful to Barr. Vivian Obinwa, who is the OCI Foundation’s Legal Research Assistant and Liaison Officer to the Nigerian National Assembly. She conceived this idea and doggedly sold it to the OCI Foundation, which we took on under the Public and Social Welfare arm of the Foundation’s activities. This is the final product, and we are very grateful for it", he stated.
While stating that the Foundation is looking forward to Presidential assent to make this Bill a law, Prof. Ifediora expressed hope that it will go a long way in saving, especially young ladies from mental trauma.
According to Prof. Ifediora, the recent arrest of a Nigerian, Cyril Kenneth, upon his arrival in the United Kingdom for allegedly attempting to sexually harass minors, is a product of awareness among the victims who reported to law enforcement agencies.
"In Nigeria, many of sexual abuse victims do not know what their rights are, or how to protect it. Because of that, a lot of abusers go unpunished. This Bill will empower Nigerians from early ages to know what the limits are, when people try to abuse them", he noted.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to sign the Bill into law in the overall interest of all Nigerians, pledging that the Foundation stands ready to support the relevant government institutions in implementing the law.
It should be noted that the OCI Foundation, in collaboration with the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS), the Future Assured Foundation of the immediate past First Lady (Aisha Buhari), and the Nigerian First Ladies Against Caner (FLAC), is well known for promoting the “Arm Our Youths Anti-cancer Health Campaign” across all the 37 NYSC orientation camps in Nigeria.
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