The management of Kaduna State University, KASU, has suspended one of its lecturers for allegedly soliciting sex for grade from a female student.
KASU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdullahi Ashafa, who broke the news on Thursday, explained that the suspension of the lecturer, Mr. Bala Umar, was due to a one-man protest at the institution by a female graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, who accused the lecturer of demanding sex from her in 2013.
This is even as management of Kogi State University, Anyigba, Thursday, warned members of the university community against any form of sexual harassment, intimidation and extortion in the institution.
This came barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari, at the 35th convocation of the University of Ilorin, warned that any lecturer caught in sex-for-marks scandal would be prosecuted.
A lady, whose name was not given, alleged that Umar, who was sacked by the management of ABU for sexual misconduct and later employed by KASU, was not fit to be a lecturer in any institution.
The deputy vice-chancellor, who chaired that the committee set up to investigate the allegation earlier in October 2019 noted that Umar, having been sacked from ABU, ought not to have been re-employed by KASU due to the controversy surrounding his dismissal.
Ashafa stressed that the university had zero-tolerance for such misconduct by its members of staff, adding that it would proceed with investigations into the allegations levelled against the embattled lecturer in order to ensure that justice was done.
He also said that two committees were set up – one to investigate Umar’s case and the other for general investigation on events on campus relating to both academic and non-academic employees of the institution, with a view to flushing out bad eggs from the university.
In his reaction, Governor Nasir El-Rufai condemned the purported action of the embattled lecturer to demand sex for marks.
In a tweet from his verified Twitter handle, the governor noted that the suspension of Umar by KASU was the first step.
He added that the suspended lecturer and 15 others sacked by ABU for alleged sexual harassment would be fully investigated and prosecuted.
Meanwhile, the management of Kogi State University, Anyigba, has warned members of the university community against any form of sexual harassment, intimidation and extortion in the Institution.
The warning came on the heels of increasing cases of sexual harassment of students in tertiary institutions across the country, and the negative implications such development has created globally.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Mohammed Abdulkadir, said in a statement Thursday that the endemic nature of these vices has called for vigilance by the institution’s authorities and stakeholders, stressing that the development has put the institution on red alert to detect and deal decisively with any reported case.
He said: “Although no cases of sexual harassment had been reported in the institution in recent time, management is determined to monitor situations on campus very keenly, with a view to dealing appropriately with any attempt by staff to sexually harass, intimidate, and/or extort students.
“The university is determined to maintain and sustain a decent academic atmosphere devoid of any form of harassment, intimidation and extortion, and will not spare anybody found guilty of these acts.
“Consequently, management would like to place it on notice that it is very much alive to its responsibility in ensuring that whoever engages in these acts is exposed and dealt with in accordance with the provisions of relevant law.
“Lecturers and other members of staff are, therefore, advised to guide themselves against involvement, as the full weight of the law will be applied against anyone caught in these acts, no matter his/her status.
“Students are advised to put on decent behaviour always, and to assist the university by reporting cases of harassment, intimidation or extortion to relevant authorities for prompt action.
“Kogi State University has a reputation for decency and good moral standing; and we are determined to maintain the status through a sustained war against sexual harassment, intimidation and extortion.”
Only on Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari had, at the 35th convocation of the University of Ilorin, warned that any lecturer in the nation’s universities caught intimidating students with sex-for-marks call would face the full wrath of the law.
”Definitely, our universities can do without the negative and scandalous attention being paid to to them and our dear nation in the wake of trending stories of sex-for-grades and sexual harassment, which has assumed a global dimension.
”It is reprehensible that while some of our more illustrious university staff are making concerted efforts to improve the continental and global ranking of Nigeria’s universities and , indeed, some of our universities are already beginning to make more respectable showing on continental and global league and ranking tables, such efforts are now being overshadowed by the negative reputation of immorality and shame being brought upon our citadels of higher learning by the irresponsibility and indiscipline of a few misguided academics.
”Henceforth, all culprits shall face the full wrath of the law as they will be prosecuted and those found guilty will serve the stiffest punishment under our law. I urge our university administrators and all categories of staff to spare no efforts in ensuring that out higher institutions live up to the expectations of training and developing graduates who are in truth and, indeed, worthy in character and learning,” the President had said.
