MOUAU governing council clears Vice-chancellor of allegations of sexual harassment

…passes vote of confidence on chairman, VC

Francis Ogbonnaya Otunta, a professor of Mathematics and the Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State has been cleared of allegations of sexual harassment and putting a student in the family way. This is sequel to petitions written by one Patricia Etuna Mba and Nelson Amanze Udenze against the University.

Mba’s petition was based on alleged illegal seizure of her salary, victimization, sexual harassment and abuse of office; while that of Udenze centred on lingering and unresolved infractions in the decisions of the university’s Governing Council.

Mba, in her petition prayed for: restoration of her salary illegally withheld by the Vice Chancellor, restoration of her well-deserved professorial seat and an official caution or warning issued to Otunta to stop his incessant sexual harassment and threat to her job and life.

Udenze in his own petition, asked for the intervention of the Minister of Education in the issues he raised, in order to save the University from academic collapse; for the University Council to be dissolved and a new one constituted to look into all the cases mentioned, and for the suspension of the Vice Chancellor.

Lawal M. Zayanna, chairman of the Governing Council alongside other members, while briefing journalists in Umuahia, said that the council in an emergency meeting on 3 and 4 February, 2020, examined all the issues raised, as well as interacted with the petitioners and the Vice Chancellor.

He said the council in its deliberations over the interactions noted as follows: that Mba travelled out of the University without due authorization for 42 days; the University handled her case of absence without authorization within the prescription of the University law; her salary has been duly restored; she was among more than 100 staff that went through a process of proper placement, ordered and overseen by the University council, and not the Vice Chancellor, as directed by the Minister of Education following infractions committed by the immediate past administration, and her allegation of incessant sexual harassment by the Vice Chancellor could not be substantiated when she was interviewed by the council.

On the petition of Udenze, the university council said, after reviewing it, noted that Udenze was all along part of the decisions of council, and it was curious for him to turn around to deny all the decisions he took part in. The Council also said it was not aware of any infractions of Body as published by him adding that his call for the dissolution of the Council and removal of the Vice Chancellor from office constituted embarrassment to the Council and unexpected of his status.

It therefore passed vote of confidence on the chairman of the council, Lawal M. Zayanna and the Vice Chancellor, Francis Ogbonnaya Otunta. It also accepted and adopted the result of an investigation by the University Senate the Vice Chancellor did not at any time impregnate any student, promote her from third year to final year and also graduated her without due process and sent her abroad to cover the act.

It disclosed that the University, after searching all her records, through the Senate, did not locate any student presently or in the past with such records and therefore found the Vice Chancellor not guilty of the allegation.