Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu has emphasized the import of the teaching sex education in schools, saying that sex education cycle cannot be complete in the absence of formal educational settings.
She maintained this while reacting to the speech recently made by the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu on the directive he gave to schools to remove sex education from schools curriculum.
She noted that sex education should be an on-going discussion with age-appropriate topics which should be delivered in structured curricula within the walls of a classroom where children spend the most of their time during the day.
She recalled that the Minister in his keynote address delivered on November 2nd, 2022, made a shocking statement which has since become a burning national issue.
Akeredolu said: “In my opinion, this has not received the attention it deserves especially from gender advocates, feminists, civil society organisations, local and international NGOs, parents and indeed the general Nigerian populace.
“His remarks have the tendency to blow off our fight against gender inequality and gender-based violence in the country and if we do not rise to speak passionately about this and set the facts right, we could be allowing the evil of patriarchy to triumph over respect for the fundamental human rights of our women and girls.
“Let me assume that some of us may have been distracted by other happenings in Nigeria and the world and for the benefit of doubt I would explain what was said and the implications it could have.The Minister in his speech openly declared that he is a believer of the myth that sex education should not be taught in schools and has consequently directed the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council to “quickly review the curriculum and expunge any sexual education content.
“According to him, one of three ways sex education can be taught was through religious and cultural instructions because “advocacy for sex education in schools is targeted at undermining and destroying the moral and religious fibres of our society”. Simply put, the Honourable Minister has put sex education solely in the hands of parents, wards, and community and religious leaders. This template is a disaster waiting to happen. It is retrogressive and cannot work in present day Nigeria.
“To say the least, it is a dictatorial approach peculiar only to emperors. Out of sheer respect, I will assume the Minister has been misinformed and must have been led to believe that his recent assertion about sex education was the right path to follow.
“As a feminist and gender-advocate, I will therefore join my voice with the voices of other Nigerian women who have openly condemned the remarks and throw some light into the issue. Perhaps, the Minister will find this write-up useful and take necessary steps to withdraw his initial comments.
“Without any doubt, children can get the information they need (including sex education) from home, however, young people need more than a one-time chat about their private areas. Honourable Minister, reputable research has proven that sex education does not encourage sex, instead it was found that it is the most cost-effective intervention by which young people can protect themselves against abuse, exploitations, unintended pregnancies sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.
“Parental and cultural settings where sex education is practiced focus on abstinence-only education and once again, research has shown that abstinence-only education does not work-it doesn’t affect the rate at which teenagers decide to have sex. On the contrary, comprehensive school-based sex education has influenced important behaviours such as delaying sexual initiation, reducing the number of sexual partners, and increasing the use of condoms among youths who are sexually active.
“As the First Lady of a state in Nigeria, I have often found myself at the centre of cases of rape and sexual violence too many to mention. May I inform the Minister that many of these cases included a father sleeping with his own daughter for five years (until she was bold enough to speak to her teacher in school), a traditional ruler raping a minor, a 5 years’ old daughter of a disabled woman raped by her neighbour, a 9 years’ old girl raped and killed while urinating in a nearby bush by a total stranger in her community, and many more devastating cases.
“Two years ago, a pastor in Warri, Delta state was arrested for raping a 19-year-old girl who went to his church for deliverance. In Kaduna state, a 13-year-old girl was raped and impregnated by seven men including an Imam. This year alone, the media has been sputtered with shocking news of no less than 10 men arrested for raping their minor daughters, some as young as 7 years old. Many more remain unnoticed and continue to happen unabated.
” The nature of silence is the singular most important factor why gender-based violence has become a perennial problem. Knowledge which can be obtained through sex education at any age can greatly influence the ability of young girls to speak up and give a good account of their sexual interactions.
“I strongly believe that the progress we have made so far fighting gender-based violence has largely been influenced by the implementation of this curriculum and we need sustained policy environment if we are to make more progress. We cannot afford to expunge the sex education curriculum as this will negatively impact the lives of our young girls especially.
” I therefore call on all well-meaning Nigerians, women organizations, civil society, and anyone who cares about the future of the women in Nigeria to speak up and stand against this attempt to silence the voice of Nigerian women. That voice is empowered through education, and we must make sure it never stops speaking.“
