A coalition of over 500 women rights organisations under the aegis of Womanifesto have petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the threat by the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, to a witness in the case of sexual harassment involving the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon.
The women, in the petition, expressed concern over the position taken by the Minister in the case against the former Dean.
As earlier reported by The Eagle Online, Kennedy-Ohaneye had in a recorded telephone conversion told the unidentified witness to back down from bearing false witness, adding that as a Minister, she had the power to empower her.
But Womanifesto in a letter to the Minister on Saturday in Abuja, recalled a recent meeting with her where she was advised to desist from meddling in the case of sexual harassment against Ndifon and interfacing with the female student victims in the case, with the possible motive/outcome of silencing them.
The letter, signed by the Co-convener of Womenifesto and Executive Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, was copied to President Bola Tinubu; Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye; Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu (SAN); Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Other signatories to the petition included Women in Politics Forum; 100 Women Lobby Group; Baobab for Women Human Rights; Project Alert on Violence Against Women; Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative; Partners West Africa; International Federation of Women Lawyers; ActionAid Nigeria; Women in Management, Business and Public Service; Christian Women in Nigerian Politics; Dr. Oby Ezekwesili; Yiaga Africa; Education as a Vaccine; Enough is Enough Nigeria; Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria; Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ; and National Centre for Women Development and National Council of Women Societies.
The petition said: We will spare no efforts in taking further lawful action that may affect your position if you do not do the needful by taking steps to apologize publicly and retract your threats to the students and utterances on rape and sexual harassment.
“Your utterances, Honourable Minister, have no doubt done a lot of damage to the collective of Nigerian women and girls and we hereby demand that you publicly apologize for meddling in the UNICAL sexual harassment case against Prof. Ndifon and attempting to silence the voices of the students who are victims of the harassment. We expect your commitment to justice and fair play. We expect no less from the office of the Minister of Women Affairs.
“It is shocking, to say the least, that a Minister of Women Affairs should hold such a narrow and erroneous view of what constitutes sexual harassment. The United Nations clearly describes sexual harassment as sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, whether implicitly or explicitly.
“We note that Professor Ndifon, who is currently on suspension from the university, has gone to court to make a case against what he called a campaign to smear his image. The utterances of the Minister of Women Affairs on the case of sexual harassment against Ndifon, therefore, can only be seen as taking sides with him. Our delegation was clear in explaining this issue to your good self during the meeting.
“Let it be stated clearly that Womanifesto outrightly condemns attempts to trivialize sexual harassment by narrowly reducing it to penetrative sex or rape only. We demand a retraction from the Honourable Minister and an apology to the innocent students who have been bullied and traumatized by you.
“We believe the Office of the Minister of Women Affairs should be investing its energies in rallying support for victims and survivors of sexual harassment and all forms of gender-based violence, and mitigating all factors that could compound the vulnerability of women and girls.”
