A female post graduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Ms Monica Osagie, who is allegedly involved in a “sex for marks” scandal with a senior lecturer, Prof. Richard Akindele, has volunteered to appear before the university’s probe panel.
She denied that she was invited over the issue and refused to appear before any investigative panel as claimed by the school authorities through a press statement from the university’s spokesperson, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju.
The victim’s advocate, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, who is a human rights attorney and gender activist, in a statement, said she was in contact with Ms. Osagie and has her instructions to inform the management of her willingness to appear before any school panel if and when duly invited.
Calling on the school to ensure due diligence in this case, the rights activist expressed concern about sexual exploitation which she said has reached pandemic proportions in “our universities because institutions have failed to put in place appropriate mechanisms for complaint and redress relating to sexual harassment.”
She lamented that because the perpetrators of sexual misconducts enjoy impunity they always go unpunished.
According to her, in this case Ms Osagie made efforts to inform senior members of the Faculty about her predicament but no one was able or willing to intervene leaving her to resort to self- help in documenting her evidence.
“While commending the University for issuing the press release on the audio recording, I call on the school management to do everything within the law and to act to ensure that justice is done and that institutional and academic ethics are rebuilt and restored in the university.
“As an alumnus of the Obafemi Awolowo University like many prominent Nigerians, I would like to see the institution take back its former reputation of being one of the best and leading universities in Nigeria.”
