Multiple News/Videos: OCI Foundation Applauds Nigeria’s 9th Assembly For The Passage Of SGBV Preventive Bill For Schools (June 2023)

Sources, Captions, and Links to Original Independent News Sources

SOURCE 1 (FRCN): Audio-Visual News Report from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)

SOURCE 2 (Channels TV): Audio-Visual News Report from Channels Television, Nigeria

SOURCE 3 (Authority News – Print): OCI Foundation Pushes Bill To Empower Nigerians About Sexual Violence Related Issues

SOURCE 4 (BluePrint News – Print): Foundation Seeks Assent to SGBV Bill For Schools

SOURCE 5 (NairaLand – Print): Bill Mandating Teaching Against SGBV In Schools a Plus for Female Folks — OCI NG

SOURCE 6 (ToscadNG – Print): OCI Foundation Applauds Nigeria’s 9th Assembly For The Passage Of SGBV Preventive Bill For Schools

Specific Contents from Each News Source

SOURCE 2 (Authority News – Print): OCI Foundation Pushes Bill To Empower Nigerians About Sexual Violence Related Issues

An International Non-governmental Organization, Onyebuchi Chris Ifediora (OCI) Foundation has stated that the Bill to establish preventive measures on Sexual and Gender Based Violence into the curriculum of secondary schools in Nigeria is a major breakthrough in the fight.

In a statement, the President of the Organization, Prof. Chris Ifediora explained that the Bill would empower Nigerians to be knowledgeable about sexual violence related issues.

Ifediora said the bill, when assented to would create greater awareness on the rights of youths regarding sexual violence and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to make this a reality by assenting to the bill.

He said the bill for an act to establish preventive measures on Sexual and Gender Based Violence into School Curriculums was second to the earlier bill on the inclusion of the teachings of breast and cervical cancer in curriculum of all Secondary Schools in Nigeria.

 “The Bill, which had already scaled through First (March 31) and Second Reading (July 27) this year, seeks to introduce Preventive Measures and Teachings of Anti-Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) into the Civic Education Curriculum of all Secondary Schools in Nigeria (JSS 1 to SSS 1)”.

It is being sponsored by Hon. Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education (and Member representing the Owan Federal Constituency in the Nigerian NASS.

 OCI Foundation is grateful to her NASS Liaison Officer, Vivian Obinwa (Esq), the prime architect of this initiative, for her doggedness towards getting this Bill to its stage. She represented the OCI Foundation at 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 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 also went through Public Reading on September 29th and 30th, 2022, seeks to include teachings against breast and cervical cancers into the curriculum of all senior secondary schools in Nigeria.

SOURCE 3 (BluePrint News – Print): Foundation Seeks Assent to SGBV Bill For Schools

OCI Foundation, an International Non-Governmental Organization, has said that the bill for an Act to establish preventive measures on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) into curriculum of all secondary schools and collages of education is a major breakthrough in the fight against the menace in the country.

In a statement, the President of the Organization, Professor Chris Ifediora, explained that the bill would empower Nigerians, especially children, to be knowledgeable about sexual and gender-based violence-related issues. 

He said its inclusion in the curriculum of Colleges of Education would 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.

He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to make this a reality by assenting to the bill.

“This OCI Foundation-inspired bill for an act to establish preventive measures on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence into the School Curricula 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,” he explained.

According to him, the bill was originally sponsored by Hon. Julius Ihonvbere, the chairman, House Committee on Basic Education and Member representing the Owan Federal Constituency.

SOURCE 4 (NairaLand – Print): Bill Mandating Teaching Against SGBV In Schools a Plus for Female Folks — OCI NG

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.

SOURCE 5 (ToscadNG – Print): OCI Foundation Applauds Nigeria’s 9th Assembly For The Passage Of SGBV Preventive Bill For Schools

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.

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.