A civil society group, Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA), has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to sign into law the Sexual Harassment of Students in Tertiary Institutions Prohibition Bill 2023.

The bill, meant to curb incessant harassment of female students in tertiary institutions, was passed by the outgoing 9th National Assembly, but did not receive the assent of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

A statement by CAJA’s executive director, Kabiru Dakata, in Kano, at the weekend, noted that Tinubu’s quick assent would assuage the pains of hundreds of students who faced sex-for-marks experiences at higher institutions.

Dakata said Tinubu’s commitment to the much-awaited law will be a significant milestone in his first 100 days in office and reassure Nigerians of his readiness to address sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse in places of higher learning.

Dakata applauded the 9th Senate, especially, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who sponsored the bill and facilitated its passage, despite odds.

He said: “Similarly, we commend the efforts of all stakeholders, particularly, civil society organisations, the media and students’ associations, who struggled to ensure passage of the bill.

He added: “CAJA is the leading organisation under the auspices of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy (ASHA) cluster, a consortium of civil society organisations comprising Village Debbo Initiative, Connected Development, Sefjamil Media and Development, Women’s Right and Health Advocacy Project, Gender Mobile Initiative, Youth Alive Foundation and Joint Association of People with Disability, a cluster that works hard to address the menace of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.”