OCI Foundation Applauds Nigeria's 9th Assembly For The Passage Of SGBV Preventive Bill For Schools

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An International Non-governmental Organization, OCI Foundation says the bill for an act to establish preventive measures on Sexual and Gender Based Violence into Curriculum of all Secondary Schools and collages of Education in Nigeria is a major breakthrough in the fight against Sexual and Gender-based Violence, SGBV.

In a statement, the President of the Organization, Professor Chris Ifediora explained that the bill would empower Nigerians, especially the Nigerian children, to be knowledgeable about sexual and gender-based violence-related issues. More so, its inclusion in the curriculum of Colleges of Education is to empower or have the potential teachers trained in that area so they can impact the knowledge on the students.

Professor Ifediora said the bill, when assented to would create more awareness on the subject matter to our young people, and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to make this a reality by assenting to the bill.

He said this OCI Foundation-inspired bill for an act to establish preventive measures on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence into the School Curricula. It has already been passed by both the Nigerian House of Representatives and the Senate. When signed into law, it will see to the inclusion of Preventive Measures and Teachings of Anti-Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) into the Civic Education curriculum at all levels of secondary school in Nigeria.

This is a more preventive and sustainable approach to addressing issues of SGBV in our society as against the usual Victim Based Approach being practiced, as it arms young Nigerians with the knowledge, preventive measures, relevant protective laws, and referral pathways for case management of SGBV cases.

It was originally sponsored by Hon. Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, the Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education (and Member representing the Owan Federal Constituency).

The OCI Foundation is grateful to her Research Assistant and NASS Liaison Officer, Vivian Obinwa (Esq), the prime architect of this initiative, for her doggedness toward getting this Bill to its stage. She represented the OCI Foundation at the Public Hearing of the event, along with Mrs Ebele Udechukwu, an Abuja-based Advocacy Team member of the Foundation.

The OCI Foundation also thanks Dele Ahamisi (Esq), for his role in pushing this Bill.

The SGBV Bill is the second legislation that has been successfully pushed through this stage by the OCI Foundation, an international (Australian-Nigerian) NGO that promotes Health, Education, and Social/Public Welfare among Nigerians. The First Bill, which has also passed through both chambers of the Nigerian National Assembly, is also awaiting Presidential assent. It seeks to include teachings against breast and cervical cancers into the curriculum of all senior secondary schools in Nigeria.