1. SEXUALITY EDUCATION
THE NIGERIAN SITUATION
It is no longer news that the ratio of moral decadence has skyrocketed over the
century. Our adolescents are now more exposed to early sexual activities and are
now confronted with complicated sexuality decisions which they are not mentally
prepared for. What’s more? The advent of information technology and
unrestricted and unchecked access to the internet has made matters more
complicated than it was. Today, our blooming teens access the social media and
gather information which they are neither mentally nor psychologically ready to
access. A handsome number of them engage in sexual related activities they are
yet to understand the implications and end up with unanticipated and unwanted
consequences such as pregnancy, STDs and STIs and in most cases, the dreaded
HIV/AIDS. It is a popular saying that if one is not informed, he/she is deformed.
This saying applies to the situation of our Nigerian youths today because research
has shown that about 90% of them were never given knowledge about their
sexuality at the early stages of their adolescents, and so most of them resorted to
other means of acquisition of such knowledge about their sexuality which are the
internet, peer groups, engaging in unhealthy sexual exercises to mention but a
few. The question is, what then is “SEXUALITY EDUCATION”?
There are numerous definitions of the term however, for want of time, in wish to
define sexuality education in view of the context which I use it here. Thus
sexuality education can be said to be a series of instructions based on proper and
decent sexually related issues inculcated in an individual in order to make him or
her sexually healthy, and psychologically capable of making rational and
acceptable decisions with regards to sexual issues. A sexually healthy individual as
used in the definition refers to any person who:
1. Knows the true purpose of his/her sexuality
2. Affirms his/her own sexual identity and respects the sexual identity of
others
3. Avoids manipulative exploitative sexual activities
4. Practices effective sexual decision making

2. 5. Expresses love and intimacy in the appropriate ways and
6. Interacts with the opposite gender in respectful and appropriate ways.
What then is the benefit of this topic to our present society today? The list of
benefits of having a sexually educated society is inexhaustible. A sexually
educated society may not necessarily be free from the clutch of immorality as it
were. However, there will be a large number of individuals who understand and
appreciate the consequences of unhealthy sexual activities, the rate of unwanted
pregnancies, abortions, rape and STDs will reduce, the rate at which HIV/AIDS is
being advanced will reduce to mention but a few. I therefore intend to shortly
and quickly analyze the issue of sexuality education and the Nigerian situation
with regards to 3 main sub headings which are:
1. Sexuality education and the Nigerian parent(s)
2. Sexuality education and the Nigerian educational institutions
3. Sexuality education and the Nigerian Religion
SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND THE NIGERIAN PARENT(S)
It is an open secret that most parents know nothing more than how to perform
the sexual act. Human sexuality covers a wider field than the sexual intercourse
itself. Most parents do not possess the sexual knowledge and because of that
fact, they traditionally try to protect their children from sexual knowledge in the
false belief that ignorance will encourage chastity. Thus the WHO in 1992
observed that because of the taboos universally associated with sexual activity, it
is extremely difficult if not impossiblefor parents to discuss sexualactivity and the
risk associated with it with their growing children. They would rather leave this
responsibility to teachers and other adults whom they believe are in a better
position to deal with such sensitive issues.
Posse and Melgosa in 2001 posited that the parents’ role in sexuality education is
irreplaceable and that it is unwise to assume that children are capable of
discerning the appropriate sexual orientation on their own. Furthermore, Walsh,
Parker and Cushing remarked in 1999, that the benefit of parental involvement in
sexuality education extends beyond the contribution it can make to improve the

3. ease of communication between parents and their children. Parents in Nigeria are
not actively involved in the sexual education of their wards as a large number of
them feel embarrassed when confronted with the issue by their children because
they lack the boldness to help such a ward understand his/her nature. In as much
as parents have been said to be the primary source of education to their children,
research has proven otherwise.
SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS
The prevalence of sexual immorality among students at various levels of
education in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. It has grown to a level that
creates fear and tension in the heart of anyone who has concern for the future of
Nigeria as a nation and that of the teeming youth that populates it. This
immorality has its roots at the secondary school level which then advances to the
higher institutions. Sexuality education among youths in secondary education is
much overlooked issue in Nigeria whose negligence has created room for other
social vices. Inadequate information and knowledge about ones sex/gender
appears to be prevalent among youths/peers in secondary schools in Nigeria, as
manifested in increasing cases of premarital sex.
Virtually all relevant subjects are taught in our secondary school level with no
reference to sexuality or gender maturity education which forms the fabric of our
society today. Surprisingly even biology, a subject which at a point delves into
human sexuality is taken on its surface level by teachers whom like the parents
equally shy away from the responsibility of equipping the younger generation
with appropriateknowledge about their sex. Because of this, cases of adolescents
dropping out of school due to unwanted pregnancy, unsuccessful abortion and
issues of a similar nature are on the rise. In fact, I had a classmate who never took
her WAEC with us because she was pregnant during that period. A pregnancy she
never anticipated nor willed but due to her ignorance about sexuality (of which I
am sure she was ignorant) she got pregnant and stayed home while we took our
exams. Such is the big price of ignorance she had to pay for, no one told her what
she needed to know and at that point in time I believe she must have been
tongue lashed and orally persecuted by her parents whom by my estimation may
have never told her anything about her sexuality.

4. SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND THE NIGERIAN RELIGION
Religion, as we know it is has more influence on every society that is religious.
Nigeria has two main widely recognized religions which are Christianity and
Islamism.
As we all know, the Islamic religion is one of and if not, the religion(s) with the
strictest doctrines and rules all over the world. Thus, with regards to extramarital
sex, the Qur’an prohibits sexual relations such as Zina i.e. fornication. Verse 24:2-
3 of the Qur’an establishes that male and female fornicators are to be flogged one
hundred times and then they are allowed to marry only other fornicators or non
Muslims.
On the other hand, Christianity is not as strict as Islamism. And being a religion
which is more relevant in this part of Nigeria, it is on it that I tend to dwell on this
aspect. Most of our churches today preach the gospel of repentance, prosperity,
abstinence from sin and topics of similar nature. But they do not speak on the
issue of sexuality. They have deemed it immoral and amorous to do so. The
question then is, does the church really have to play a role, in sexually educating
the younger generation? My answer would be yes, becausethe church apart from
being a place of worship has transformed into a society, a school which aims at
creating individuals of sound mind and character. After all, churches organize
seminars and talk shows today and dwell on diverse topics BUT I have not had the
privilege of seeing one of these seminars which actually touches on sexuality
education. Such is the neglect which has braced this rather sensitive topic. These
churches can through biblical and moral approach teach sexuality education to
the younger generation and in my own view, no sexuality education could be
more proper than that conducted by a church. For a child sexually educated in the
way of the bible will be unarguably sound in mind and in spirit, he/she will be the
perfect example of the individual that the society needs.
However, the bad news remains that just like the parents and schools; the church
has also neglected the issue of sexuality education in our Nigerian society.
CONCLUSION

5. Therefore, having established that our society today is immorally sick and the first
approach to the treatment of this illness is to embrace sexuality education.
Parents have to defeat their shyness and give their wards important clues and
knowledge about their sexuality and the right approach to it as well as the
dangers and consequences significant with it.
In samevein, our schools and churches may organizeseminars and moral sections
for adolescents of a specific age, in order to endow them with the appropriate
sexuality information as suits their material age. If a concerted effort is made on
all these sectors, a definite change will be seen in our society and perhaps several
sexual immoralities will be curbed if not stopped. And then, sexuality education
and the Nigerian situation will change for good.
“If you are not informed, you are deformed!”
Arthur Chibueze Ezechukwu (ACE)
Source: Sexuality Education_The Nigeerian Situation (The manuscript).