Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, has lamented the rising sexual harassment in primary and secondary schools across the federation.

Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who raised the concern at a one-day national stakeholders’ engagement yesterday in Abuja, observed that until stiffer penalty is imposed on offenders, the menace would remain unabated.

Organised by the ICPC, in collaboration with the Gender Mobile Initiative, the event was to ensure that the Model Policy for Tertiary Institutions does not end up like failed several laudable initiatives of the past.

While stating that sexual harassment and related societal ills are tarnishing Nigeria’s image, the ICPC boss stated: “Only a consistent, persistent, focused and united campaign can ensure that the challenge of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions is addressed.” He recalled that that his agency, a few years ago, collaborated the Ford Foundation on a project to curb the societal malaise.

Aliyu said: “One of the expected outcomes of that project was the drafting of model anti-sexual harassment policies for various levels of educational institutions. The new partnership is in tune with the continued commitment to making the society safer for women and girls.

Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy, said measures are being put in place to tackle the menace through establishment of mobile courts for proper prosecution of perpetrators.

Founder and Executive Director of Gender Mobile Initiative, Omowumi Ogunrotimi, said the body realised that it was really important for stakeholders to think about prevention rateher than response framework.

“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,” she said.