Harvest of Sexual Misconduct in Ivory Towers
It’s another season of sexual cacophony in our ivory towers, no thanks to the BBC’s “Africa Sex-forGrades” documentary by a 28-year-Old Port Harcourt lady, Ms Kiki Mordi, who disguised as a 17-year old admission seeker to expose the now running sex escapade at University of Lagos and the University of Ghana against teenage female students put under their care in their campuses to tutor and nurture. Ms. Mordi gained admission into one of Nigeria’s foremost higher institutions to read medicine some years back. She was determined to become a medical doctor but that dream got shattered after the death of her father by no fault of hers but a randy lecturer, who demanded and insisted on sex with her if she was to advance in her studies. The young lady refused the lecturer’s advances and paid dearly for her recalcitrance; she did not only abort her dream of becoming a medical doctor, she dropped out of school completely.
The aggrieved young woman had lived with the grudge ever since and was determined to take a pound of flesh in return anytime, anywhere against round randy academics intent on tormenting innocent young ladies in tertiary institutions.
Allegations of sexual misconduct in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions are no news anymore, they are legendry and as old as the nation’s first of these institutions and almost now the norm for lecturers to solicit sex to help female students in their academic work.
Female student victims in most cases are cowed into silence either for fear of victimisation or out of ignorance. In other cases, they are left in their wounds until long after graduation before they summon the courage to speak. The system itself does not permit victims voicing out their ordeal as the few that had the courage to do so had the experience of being left disappointed as they were punished and dismissed for want of evidence and for those, who were not that bold as Ms Mordi, the “cold room” as their fate.
While in the opinion of many, the prevailing uproar over the BBC “Africa Sex-for-Grades” documentary may actually be because it was sparked off by a foreign medium, sex for grades or for help in academics, as the world totters to general moral decadence, is not almost now institutionalised in the country’s ivory towers, as you will discover yourself from our findings here soonest, it’s almost now of global acceptance in the world’s citadels of learning.
University of Lagos (UNILAG)
The University of Lagos and the University of Ghana are actually the centre stages of Ms Mordi’s documentary. The disguised 17-year-old admission seeker met Professor Boniface Igbeneghu, a Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Arts and a Pastor at the Foursquare Gospel Church, who could be seen in the documentary, trying to sexually prey on the young admission seeker. Serving the undercover journalist a glass of wine, Igbeneghu instructed her to “Switch off this light. Lock the door. I’ll kiss you for a minute.” He then went on to share stories of how lecturers sexually molest female students in the University Staff Club.
“There is the upper part of the staff club, where lecturers romance students. They take girls there, touch their breasts and body. They call it Cold Room…,” the Prof spoke on subconsciously.
This is by no means strange to UNILAG, years back, Afeez Baruwa, a lecturer of the university, was charged to court for allegedly raping a student of the institution.
In 2018, a professor of English in the University, Olusegun Awonusi, who had returned to UNILAG on completion of his term as Vice Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), was accused of sexual harassment by a student, Joy Nwanna. Ms Nwanna accused him of habitually harassing female students each time they go to his office. The student released semi-nude pictures of Awonusi in one of her “encounters” with him in his office, narrating her experience: “I have been suffering this for months now. Whenever students go to his office for anything, he is always trying to touch you.
“I took pictures of him on one of the days I entered his office. He has made molestation a part of him. I am even scared for my life in UNILAG. That is why I am reaching out to you so he can be stopped. I have completely given up when it comes to academics, he has failed me before. When I talked to him, concerning it, he told me I should know what to do that I am an adult. I feel so dirty for even allowing such an old man to touch me. But he doesn’t even care.”
In yet another case, Aigbeme Okonkwo accused another UNILAG lecturer, Prof Louis Egwari of sexual harassment in 2006. Okonkwo, whose father was also a lecturer in UNILAG at that time, said she went to Egwari’s office in connection with her course work and moments after entering his office, the lecturer stood from his seat, moved closer to her and touched her thigh, saying “I didn’t know you were so beautiful’’.
University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is where Ms Mordi’s frustration and motivation for the BBC documentary sprang from. As a young undergraduate, Kiki’s dream of becoming a medical doctor was frustrated by lecturers, who she vehemently refused to surrender her body to. In fact, for her stubbornness, she was frustrated and made to drop out of school.
Such cases as Mordis’ are legion in the school. A female student with Twitter handle @akinde_ore had alleged increasing cases of sexual harassment in the University recently. In a tweet by her, she had alleged that two Micro Biology students of the school were allegedly raped by a staff.
University of Ilorin
In Unilorin, as it is popularly called, the case of a 17-year-old female student allegedly raped by a lecturer sent cold spines across the campus recently. The young girl was introduced to Mr. Olowookere, an Arts Education teacher, by his graduate of the school friend to help keep an eye on her academic progress. Olowookere allegedly took advantage of the young girl, raped her in his office and tried to prevent her from concealing his sexual misconduct by allegedly altering her results into higher grades.
Lagos State University (LASU)
The Lagos State University (LASU) has the case of Odubunmi Sukanmi, an associate professor in the Department of Economics, over alleged sexual assault of a female student.
Odubunmi was allegedly caught assaulting a female undergraduate of his department. He reportedly invited the student to his office on a Saturday to rewrite a paper she allegedly failed. On getting to the office, the lecturer reportedly removed his shirt and started cuddling the student after giving her papers to rewrite the exam he invited her for. Unknown to him, the student had sought the help of a non-governmental organisation to garner evidence to nail the lecturer.
However, after prompt investigation by the school disciplinary committee, Odubunmi, and his accomplice, Dr. Ajani Ogunwande, an Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, were dismissed from the school’s employment.
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife (OAU)
In a most widely reported case, the Obafemi Awolowo University had sacked Professor Richard Akindele for demanding sex from a student, Monica Osagie, in exchange for marks. In a leaked audio conversation between the lecturer and Monica Osagie, Akindele was heard asking his victim for sex five times to increase her exam score from 33 to a pass mark. After two months of investigation, Prof Akindele was dismissed from the University in 2018, apprehended, prosecuted and sentenced in December 2018 to two years imprisonment.
In another incident, on January 8, 2018, a graduate of the University, Funke Dezarn, alleged on Facebook that Dr. Francis Fakoya, a former lecturer of the University, was in the habit of sexually harassing female students, alleging that he was deliberately failing Medical Students who turn down his sex demands.
Ekiti State University (EKSU)
A lecturer at the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado Ekiti, Dr. Olaleye Aduwo, was also alleged to have been involved in sex-for-grades scandal. The lecturer in a 29-second video that went viral, was accused of attempting to have sex with one of his students for marks. During the process, the lecturer was tortured, harassed and dehumanised by people allegedly sent by the lady after him.
Ambrose Ali University (AAU)
In the wake of another high-profile case involving a lecturer in the department of electrical and electronic engineering at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, in Edo State, Dr. Peter Otubu was detained by two sisters, Judith Ivie Okosun and Juliet Obehi Okosun. Dr. Otubu was accused by one of the women of demanding sex in return for marks.
University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT)
In April 2018, Funa Banana tweeted of a shocking sexual harassment on campus. .Funa Banana, a graduate of the University of Pot Harcourt, alleged in a tweet that ‘’UNIPORT lecturers don’t just ask to sleep with you, they also demand threesome and you must pay for the hotel room and they still end up giving you E.” The tweet went viral. However, no lecturer was specifically fingered as the allegation only started and died on Twitter.
Of all the rots in Uniport, that of the Faculty of Management Sciences stands out. At the Department of Business Management, allegations of sex for grades have remained very high on the lips of students. It is alleged that some female students don’t sit for some courses in exams but come up with high grades.
Federal Polytechnic, Auchi
In 2016, 41 lecturers were accused of sexual harassment and extortion of students. After a panel’s report, five were dismissed, eight got their appointments terminated, 16 were demoted, four were warned, two advised, two cautioned, one recommended for mentoring while two students were denied further admission into the institution.
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria
In 2013, a Professor in the Faculty of Education was dismissed over sexual harassment. Kolo was earlier sentenced to two months imprisonment by a court in Jigawa State, after he was found guilty of attempting to force his female student to accept his sex advances. The student (a married woman) through her husband informed security agents.
University of Calabar
The University of Calabar in 2015 suspended the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Cyril Ndifon, for allegedly raping a 400-level law student.
University of Abuja
A lecturer of the University of Abuja (name withheld), was also indicted for demanding for sex to award marks to one of his female students. The alleged scandal came to light after the lecturer, a dean, was caught in a hotel in Gwarimpa area of Abuja, where he allegedly had an affair with the student.
Osun State University
At the Osun State University, Osogbo, a randy senior lecturer in the Department of Languages and Linguistics, Dr. Olabode Ajoniyi, was caught on video, having sex in a hotel room with one of his female students, Mercy Ikwue.
Sexual misconduct is not peculiar to Nigerian tertiary institutions. In the University of Ghana, Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor of the College of Education, like the University of Lagos lecturers, is enwrapped in the sex-for marks BBC documentary scandal. Dr. Buttakor was seen applying to be a potential female student’s ‘side boy’.
The documentary recorded him asking Kiki Mordi, “How many guys have told you you are beautiful today? Let me be your side guy. Men have side chicks… May be you’ll be my side and I’ll also be your side.” He then went on to offer the undercover student a National service work placement in his department even though the deadline for applications had elapsed.
If you are still in doubt that sexual misconduct is not all of Nigerian, then the case of Boston University (BU) is worth recalling. In 2017, BU found that Geologist