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Nigerian vice-chancellors?have been urged by the?government to do everything they can to stamp out sexual harassment in the country¡¯s universities.

According to local media, Adamu Rasheed, the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission, told the conference of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities in Osun that sexual harassment?was now a ¡°major crisis¡± at universities across the country.

Earlier this year, three Nigerian universities were embroiled in sexual abuse scandals.

¡°The universities should be willing to punish and stamp out the incidents of sexual harassment, because?[they are] damaging to our collective reputation; and we just have to do something,¡± he said. ¡°Please say it and do it; and whenever you punish or sanction somebody in this regard, let your effort be duly publicised.¡±

Professor Rasheed said that he and the?universities commission had been working on reforms to reduce corruption in the university system, particularly sexual harassment, the reported.

¡°Let the world know that somebody has lost his or her job because of sexual harassment or somebody has been demoted from being a professor to lecturer because of sexually harassing a student,¡± he said.

anna.mckie@timeshighereducation.com