UTME candidate alleges invigilator’s sexual harassment, seeks senate petition 

Chizitere Obioha, a 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate has made allegations of sexual harassment against her invigilator, Mr Mutiu Olayemi during the recent examination and seeks for senate petition.

The 16-year-old candidate, in a petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions alleged that the invigilator requested her phone number during the examination, and upon her refusal, her result was subsequently withheld.

In a video displayed on NASS TV, Chizitere’s father, Mr Onyebuchi Obioha appealed to lawmakers for assistance and his petition was presented to the Senate by the Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Neda Imasuen on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.

Senator Imasuen, representing Edo South, while submitting the petition revealed to the senate that the invigilator tried to befriend Chizitere during the exam, but she rejected his advances.

He said, “following the incident, Chizitere’s result was withheld due to allegations of examination malpractice.”

The petition

As stated in the petition by Mr Obioha, Chizitere participated in the UTME examination held on April 22nd at 12:00 pm at Wisdom House CBT Centre, Ogba, Lagos.

He noted that upon the release of the UTME results by JAMB, Chizitere’s result was withheld, and the examination body alleged malpractice when her father inquired.

Chizitere’s father said despite his complaint, JAMB stood by its claim that his daughter committed malpractice, as stated in the invigilators’ report from the examination center.

Sexual harassment

Obioha claimed that the invigilator’s sexual advances and subsequent rejection led to his daughter’s result being withheld. He provided evidence of the invigilator’s phone number and note.

“We have reason to suspect that our daughter is being wrongly punished. We firmly believe she’s innocent of any wrongdoing.”

“On April 22, 2024, after my daughter finished her exam, she handed me a small piece of paper and revealed that a man in the exam hall gave it to her, asking her to call him afterward.”

Quoting Chizitere’s words , “he approached and admired her name, saying it was beautiful, then returned later, handing her a piece of paper with his contact info, asking her to call him.”

Her father said “I immediately dialed the number and asked why he gave his number to a minor. He denied the allegation, saying it was a wrong number.”

“When we got home, my daughter told her mother who also called the invigilator but he denied again and cut the line.”

“Later that evening, I sent a WhatsApp message to 08067366564, identified as Mutiu Olayemi on Truecaller, requesting he cease contact and apologize. Unfortunately, he did not respond.”

The invigilator’s reaction

In a telephone interview with journalists on Sunday, Olayemi denied the accusation that he gave Chizitere his phone number written on a piece of paper during the examination.

During the interview, the invigilator verified his position as a supervisor at the examination center and emphatically stated that he did not provide his phone number to any of the candidates.

“I didn’t engage with anyone inappropriately or share my phone number,” Olayemi said. “I’m in Abuja to defend myself as directed by JAMB.”

When questioned about the examination malpractice allegation, Olayemi stated that he was not responsible for filing the report that implicated Chizitere.”

According to him, the Resident Monitor was responsible for filing the examination malpractice report against Chizitere.

Sexual harassment in Nigeria

Sexual harassment is unwanted, unwelcome, or uninvited behavior of a sexual nature, including physical, verbal, or non-verbal conduct.

Sexual harassment in Nigeria is a serious issue that affects many individuals, particularly women and vulnerable groups.

Laws and Policies

Several laws and policies have been established to curtail the spread of sexual harassment in Nigeria. These include the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (2015), the Sexual Harassment Bill (2019), National Policy on Gender (2017),  and Employee codes of conduct.

Consequences

Sexual harassment has so many devastating effects on its victims. These effects are emotional trauma, psychological distress, loss of employment or education opportunities, and social stigma.

Reporting Mechanisms

The victim of this ugly incident are to report to any of these agencies: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Police (Family Support Unit), Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, and Organization’s internal reporting channels

Prevention Strategies

Sexual harassment can be prevented through education and awareness, zero-tolerance policies, training for employers and employees, and support for victims

Key Statistics

According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), 72% of Nigerian women experience sexual harassment and 1 in 5 girls experience sexual violence before age 18 according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

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