Sex-for-marks Scandal: OAU Introduces Whistle-blower Policy

Ololade Adeyanju/

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has introduced a whistle-blower policy as part of measures to protect students against sexual exploitation and harassment.

This was contained in a statement issued by the university on Wednesday and signed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, to announce the sack of Prof. Richard Akindele, a Senior Lecturer, who was allegedly involved in a sex-for-marks scandal.

The vice chancellor had on April 19 confirmed the suspension of Akindele pending the findings of an investigative panel.

Miss Monica Osagie, a student in the Masters of Business programme, had released a recorded telephone conversation, which went viral, in which the lecturer, identified as Akindele, demanded five rounds of sex to enhance her marks.

Apart from developing a whistle-blower policy, the university said it had also “taken further steps to ensure the total elimination of Sexual Harassment (SH) in the OAU Community, while stressing that “the University has a legal duty to prevent sexual and gender-based harassment within the institution and ensure that both men and women are protected from this menace; and thereby provide conducive environment for teaching and learning”.

Other steps taken by the university, according to the statement, included, “creating more awareness and disseminating information on what constitutes Sexual Harassment (SH) within the university, and noting the veracity of SH concepts which include – sexual solicitation and advances, sex exploitation, prostitution, seduction, pimping, sexual assault, unwanted touching, vulgar sexual jokes, rape among others. These concepts are well specified in the University Sexual Harassment Policy approved by the University Council in 2013.

“Putting in place a strategic implementation framework for the SH Policy which will ensure effective/rapid redress mechanisms to incidents of SH. The SH Policy clearly states mechanisms for reporting and for dealing with SH cases through the committee system. This would be made more functional.

“Continuously educating staff and students about their right to seek redress in cases of SH” and “uploading, on its website, the Sexual Harassment Policy, under the administrative blog, while copies are being given to students at matriculations, and when staff are newly recruited”.

It added that it also “intends to add ‘Zero Tolerance to Sexual Harassment’ as part of its core values, and openly display this on bill boards”.

Justifying the council’s decision on Akindle, the vice chancellor said that the University Senate at its meeting on June 14 considered the committee’s finding that Akindele had an inappropriate relationship with his student.

He said this was established through their conversation in the audio recording, his reply to the query, the oral evidence and the printed ‘WhatsApp conversations’ tendered before the committee.

The vice chancellor said Akindele had acted in a manner that compromised his position as a teacher and examiner in that his conversations with Osagie were about examination scores and inducement of favour for the alteration of examination scores.

Ogunbodede said: ”He offered to change Miss Osagie’s purported “33%” result to a pass mark in consideration for sexual favours; this was established in the audio recording which he admitted.

”His claim that Miss Osagie knew that she had passed with a score of ‘45’ but was seeking to score an ‘A’ and that this led to him being sexually harassed by Miss Osagie cannot be supported by any evidence.

”Professor Akindele’s actions in requesting for sexual favours from Miss Osagie to change her examination scores was scandalous behaviour that has brought ridicule to the name of the university and has tarnished the reputation of the university, as it portrays the university as an institution where its teachers and examiners trade marks for sexual favours.

”From the evidence, Miss Osagie had no idea that she scored ‘45’, a pass mark as later claimed by Professor Akindele, although she later found out she did not fail the course.

”Professor Akindele’s claim that he reported Miss Osagie’s ‘harassment’ to his colleagues cannot be supported by any evidence as all his colleagues denied it and one mentioned that he only talked about the matter with him after the audio recording was released over the internet.

”Professor Akindele operated in a position of power and authority over Miss Osagie and as such sexually harassed her.

”Professor Akindele was liable for all the allegations of misconduct levelled against him.”

The vice chancellor said the Senate recommended that Akindele, having been found liable on all the allegations against him, should be dismissed from the services of the university.

”The Council, at its meeting of today, Wednesday, 20th of June, 2018, having considered the recommendation of Senate, as well as the report of the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, decided that Professor Richard I. Akindele should be dismissed from the services of the university for gross misconduct,” he said.

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