Gift Oba, Abeokuta
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday, 15th December, 2022 held a day seminar on sex education, seeking clarifications on the confusing sexual orientations as affecting the students in the country.
The seminar held under the leadership of the Global Deputy Senate President of the apex students’ body – Comrade Ekundina Elvis with the theme, Sex Education: A Panacea To Indecent Dressing, Rape, Unwanted Pregnancy And Prostitution Eradication. The event took place at the Nigeria Labour Congress Secretariat, Leme, Abeokuta, the State’s capital.
Ekundina Elvis, the GDSP of NANS in his welcome address stressed the need for the purpose of the seminar in the midst of confusions, as the world is slowly normalizing same sex marriages and even more confusing sexual misorientations.
In his words “ there has never been a more critical time to reset our defense, awaken our consciousness and conscientiously work together to salvage our collective future than now”
“We grew up in a community where discussions on sex is a taboo, this has greatly militated against the all round development of young people. Particularly moral decadence related to sex, indecent dressing, rape, unwanted pregnancy,prostitution e.t.c. must and should enjoy an advantage position in public discuss”.
Speaking at the seminar, Prof. Ashimolowo Olubunmi from the Gender Development Initiative represented by the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Zubair Hamdat explained that indecent dressing should not be overlooked as it is wrong but however does not give the right to be raped.
She described sex as a choice hence the need to be careful because sex without the consent of the other person involved is rape.
“The way you dress is your choice but we want to always remember our culture,way of life and our dressing depicts who we are. Indecent dressing is not acceptable though but that should not give the license to be raping, if you could resist raping the mad people that roam freely on our streets with no one to even defend them in case of any casualty except the government, why not bridle yourself against a lady who hides her inferiority complex in her ungodly dressing?
“Once the consent is not there, then it is rape. Rape does not have to do with what one is putting on, it is already in the mind of the rapist.
And for the record, the male folks are also raped but most of them choose not to talk because of our community stigma”.
She however, frowned against the rate at which young ladies go about illegal abortions adding that as a young lady, pregnancy is not the end of the world and advised them to rather go for family planning, contraception and safe abortions.
The 6th Provost of the Federal College of Education Abeokuta, Dr. Rafiu Adekola Sayole represented by Antony Ogundipe described students as the the hope for the future and thanked the organizers for the opportunity.
“Our hope for a better Nigeria is in your hands we need to always tell you everything you do today will reflect in the future of Nigeria. Those who are in government today were once like you and we know where our country is today. We are looking for a better Nigeria, such that we all can have to call our own and be secured.
The topic for today have to do with sex education and you would agree with me that the way you dress is how you will be addressed, so we need to start educating ourselves and remind ourselves that some vices can be avoided especially when we dress well and speak well.”
“So it is good that the Senate of NANS organized this gathering so we are able to educate ourselves on the need to lay good foundation to those coming after us.
He added that youths should be forerunners of Nigeria where they can understand that our culture does not allow so many things and we hold them as taboos.