- UNILAG arrest a lecturer over sexual misconduct
- Religious leaders, NGO raise alarm over the ugly trend
- Group urges President Tinubu to sign a bill against the misconduct
In recent time, the growing rate of sexual misconduct by lecturers in Nigeria tertiary institutions has become quite alarming and appalling.
Virtually every month, there is reported case of one sexual harassment or the other by randy lecturers in our citadel of learning.
However, worried by this issue of sexual harassment and rape of children and women in the country, Federal lawmakers, in 2016, took steps to reverse the trend by producing a legal instrument that criminalises the acts.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and 106 senators sponsored a bill, which seeks to prohibit sexual harassment in tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
After so much dragging and staggering the Senate, in July 2020, after the third reading, passed ‘A Bill for an Act to prevent, prohibit and redress sexual harassment of students in tertiary institutions and for matters concerned therewith 2019.
The bill, with 25 clauses, seeks to promote and protect ethical standards in tertiary institutions. It also seeks to protect students against sexual harassment by educators in tertiary institutions. It also proposes up to a 14-year jail term for offenders.
The bill was later transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence. The House, in February 2022, passed the bill after the Third Reading.
The then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, later constituted a seven-man committee, headed by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central).
The primary motive of the committee was to harmonise the two versions of the bill passed by both Houses before it was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
However, three years after the Senate passed the bill and two year after the green chamber passed it, the bill is yet to be assented to by the President.
But the issues the bill seeks to address have refused to go away. A research work carried out in 2021 titled: ‘Sexual harassment on campus: A study in a Nigerian university,’ indicated that out of the 1,408 students at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, who participated in the study, 849 respondents (60.1 per cent) agreed that there was sexual harassment on campus.
Nevertheless, of the 849 students, 27.4 per cent described the behaviour as very rampant and 32.6 per cent felt it was present but not as bad. The study also identified jokes about looks as the most frequently experienced form of sexual harassment on campus.
Other patterns noted in the report include touching of intimate body parts in a disrespectful way, sending embarrassing photos, deceiving victims and taking them to unsafe places for sex and circulation of false sexual rumours.
Similarly, between January 2021 and June 2022, there were cases of sexual harassment involving lecturers in universities and polytechnics in the country.
The situation seemed to have worsened in recent time as on September 8, 2023, the Police in Lagos arrested a lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Kadiri Babalola, for alleged sexual
abuse of a 20-year-old undergraduate.
According to the report, the student was said to have visited
Babalola, of the Department of Botany, in his office on August 16, to address some issues concerning her results.
But, instead of addressing the student’s concerns, Babalola allegedly raped the undergraduate.
Appalled by her encounter, the victim reached out to a non-governmental organisation, the Inclusive Social
Welfare and Empowerment Foundation (SWEF) for legal redress.
The case was further reported to the Gender Unit of the state Police
Command through the Officer in Charge (OC). Consequently, the
Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, issued a warrant of arrest for Babalola through the state High Court, while the Vice Chancellor, Prof Folashade Ogunsola, was given seven days to produce the suspect.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin said that “The lecturer is in our custody. He would be arraigned
in court and Lagosians would know the charges filed against him. No date has been fixed for the arraignment. I can’t answer how long he will be in custody, but he would be arraigned.
Earlier in her own reaction, UNILAG’s spokesperson, Mr. Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, said the
university was aware of an investigation involving the lecturer. She said: “UNILAG management, on August 28, received a letter from the
Nigeria Police Force, inviting an employee of the university for
questioning. The employee was immediately informed of the development and advised to comply.
“On August 29, the employee complied. While we are not yet privy to the full details of the incident that led to his arrest, we are fully aware that the investigation is ongoing and we are cooperating with security agencies to ensure that the matter is resolved in the interest of justice.
In any case, the UNILAG incident was happening barely two months after two academic staff of University of Abuja were relieved of their duty following alleged sexual misconduct.
On 25th July 2023 the Vice-Chancellor of the University Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah,
said the institution recently dismissed two academic staff members over allegations bordering on sexual misconduct.
The University don also told newsmen that the institution had
designed a communication channel for students to report cases of sexual harassment and other unethical acts by lecturers.
Again, on August 17, 2023, the management of University of Calabar, UNICAL, suspended the Dean, Faculty of Law, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, for alleged violation of the provisions of the extant laws and policies of the institution.
The suspension was conveyed in a letter by the university Registrar, Mr. Gabriel Egbe,and it takes effect from August 17, 2023.
However, according to the suspension letter, this came came on the heels of the Dean’s response to a query earlier issued to him by the university management, which the vice chancellor was dissatisfied with.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the Vice-Chancellor having been dissatisfied with his response, had relieved Prof.Ndifon of his position as Dean and placed him on suspension while the matter was referred to a panel that would be set-up to investigate the allegations levelled against him.
However, the letter partly read thus, “Please refer to our letter Ref UC/REG/DISC.45A dated August 14, 2023, on your alleged violation of the provisions of the extant laws and policies of the university and your response to the said letter which was dated August 16, 2023.
“The Vice Chancellor has gone through your written representations and is not satisfied with your explanations.
“She has, therefore, directed that you should be relieved of your position as Dean, Faculty of Law and placed on suspension while the matter is referred to a panel that will be set-up to investigate these allegations.
“The relieve of position as Dean, Faculty of Law and suspension from official duties takes effect from August 17, 2023.
“You are to hand over all university property in your possession, including all official responsibilities presently handled by you to the Sub-Dean of the faculty before vacating office.
“You are to stay away from the university premises except while responding to invitation from the panel investigating these allegations.”
Recall that students of the Faculty of law had on August 14 carried out a peaceful protest, alleging that Prof. Ndifon was sexually molesting them.
It was also gathered that since then, no fewer than 15 victims of the said allegations had spoken out and were willing to testify against the suspended Dean in court.
This is the second time Ndifon would be suspended by the university. He was first suspended in 2015 but was later reinstated after police gave him a clean bill after investigation.
Nevertheless, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka also had its own fair share of the ugly incident recently as some lecturers allegedly involved in sexual harassment of students were demoted by the management of the institution.
The Special Adviser to the Vice Chancellor of the University on Public Relations and Special Duties, Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, on August 25, 2023 confirmed the demotion.
Though Ojukwu, did not give the breakdown of the number or the identities of lecturers who were demoted, he pointed out that there was ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct by some lecturers in the University.
In a statement on August 25, Ojukwu said: “The attention of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Management has been drawn to a publication in the social media that female students of our university were protesting sexual harassment by lecturers in the university. It is important to state that there was no protest of any sort in the university.
“However, there is an ongoing investigation concerning alleged sexual harassment by some lecturers.
“The Vice-Chancellor immediately removed the affected lecturers from their official positions and issued those affected strong warning letters in the affected departments.
“Unfortunately, the students who alleged sexual harassment were not forthcoming to testify before the investigation panel.
“The Vice Chancellor additionally summoned the affected departments to a meeting where he expressed the university’s displeasure and warned lecturers and staff to desist from all actions that would bring the name of the university to disrepute.
“He warned that the university management will severely punish erring staff, especially those who are molesting or sexually harassing our students.
“The Vice-Chancellor has, therefore, made a dedicated telephone number available to enable students to report all forms of harassment by staff, especially sexual harassment.
“He further assures students of the renewed determination of the university to protect them and treat all forms of allegations of sexual harassment with the seriousness it deserves and confidentially”.
Reactions trail varsity lecturers sexual misconduct
The Anti-Sexual Harassment Advocacy Cluster, has expressed worry over the unabating conduct of some lecturers, who sexually harass female students for marks.
The group, therefore, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to assent to the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions (prohibition) bill to end several cases of sexual harassment of undergraduates in tertiary institutions by lecturers.
Addressing newsmen over the unhealthy development in Kano, the spokesman of ASHA Cluster, a consortium of different Civil Society Organisations, Kabiru Dakata, stated in a statement that the menace can be addressed if President Tinubu signs the Anti-Sexual bill into law.
According to Dakata, “In April 2018, Prof. Richard Akindele of the Department of Accounting Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife was accused of sexually harassing a female student, identified as Monica Osagie (Alexandra, 2018; Lawal, 2018). The recorded exchanges where the said lecturer verbally harassed the female student were disclosed to the media and that became a matter of nationwide discussion.
“Recently, students of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, protested against persistent sexual harassment by the Dean of the faculty, Prof Cyril Ndifon.”
He appealed to President Tinubu to assent to the bill.
More so, according to Rev. Fr. Paulinus Ogara, there should stringent punishment for the offenders of the illicit act.
In a chat with WITHIN NIGERIA, Father Ogara,a Director in Post Primary School Management Board(PPSMB), Enugu state, government and stakeholders should raise awareness on the dangers inherent in this ugly trend.
“The issue of sexual abuse and harassment by University lecturers is deeply concerning. This trend may have multiple underlying causes, including power imbalances, lack of proper reporting mechanisms, and inadequate training on ethical behaviour.”
Proffering solution, Ogara stated that “to address this problem, several actions can be taken:
“Raise Awareness and Educate: Launch awareness campaigns within the university to educate both students and staff about their rights and the serious consequences of such behaviours.
“Enhance Reporting Channels: Create confidential and easily accessible systems for victims to report incidents without the fear of reprisal.
“Implement Stringent Policies: Enforce strict institutional policies against sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct, with clear penalties for wrongdoers.
“Foster Ethical Behaviour: Provide ongoing training to university staff and faculty on appropriate conduct and ethical behaviour to promote a culture of respect.
“Support Survivors: Offer comprehensive support services for victims, including counseling and legal aid, to assist them in their recovery.
“Ensure Accountability: Guarantee thorough and transparent investigations, holding defaulters accountable for their actions.
“Proactive Approach: It’s crucial for universities to take proactive measures in addressing this issue to create a safe environment for all students and staff members.”