The Senate on Wednesday had dusted the sexual harassment bill and are considering a five-years jail term for offenders with N5 million additional fine for lecturers found wanting to harass both male and female students.
This was contained in a statement from the Special Assistant to the Senate President, Ezrel Tabiowo, saying the bill which was introduced by the 8th Senate on October 2016, sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC Delta central) and passed by the 8th Senate.
According to the bill, an educator will be “guilty of committing an offence of sexual harassment against a student if he/she has sexual intercourse with a student who is less than 18 years of age; has sexual intercourse with a student or demands sex from a student or a prospective student as a condition to study in an institution, or as a condition to the giving of, a passing grade or the granting of honour and scholarships.”
The bill indicated that: “Any person who commits any of the acts specified in Section 4 of this Act is guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be sentenced to imprisonment of up to five years, but not less than two years without any option of a fine.”
However, the bill was faced with a major challenge as it was not given Presidential assent after its passage by the 8th Senate.
The setback was as a result that some lawmakers were of the opinion that the bill should be more elaborate and inclusive and not discriminatory or targeted only at university lecturers.
Meanwhile, the bill was reintroduced by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege.
Other bills that scaled the first reading include: Federal Polytechnic Daura Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Babba Kaita Ahmad (APC, Katsina North); National Rice Development Council Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Muhammad Enagi Bima (APC, Niger South), Modibo Adama University of Technology Bill, 2019, by Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru (Adamawa Central); and National Health Insurance Commission Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, APC, Kwara Central, among others.
