A fresh sex-for-marks scandal is currently rocking the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, as a 400-level student of the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Administration, has accused a lecturer, Olabisi Olaleye, of sexually harassing her.
Update: Sex-for-marks: Accused OAU lecturer now on half pay
PREMIUM TIMES reports that Motunrayo Afolayan, who has since lodged a complaint at the university’s Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies, alleged that Mr Olaleye failed her in ‘Diplomacy,’ course code IRS 305.
The lecturer teaches the course alongside a female colleague, Omolara Akinyemi.
Reliable sources within the university told PREMIUM TIMES that Ms Afolayan first took IRS 305 during the 2017/2018 academic calendar while in 300 Level but was allegedly failed because she refused to sleep with the lecturer.
During the next academic year, the 2018/2019 academic session, the student registered again for the course but received repeated threats from the lecturer that “she would fail again and again if she refuses to sleep with him.”
A senior official in the faculty, who does not want to be named, said the student sought the intervention of another lecturer in the department, Sunday Omotuyi, but was turned down due to a previous intervention that went sour.
The official further stated that when other lecturers got wind of the development, they asked for proof of the allegation against the lecturer, and Ms Afolayan played a recorded voice of Mr Olaleye saying – in Yoruba – that, “I promise you would fail this course three times except you sleep with me.”
A university source said, “So, she was in Olaleye’s office and just as predicted, Olaleye held her by the hand and began to fondle her. While he was carried away, the lady turned on the voice recording application on her phone and taped all his vulgar words including the threat.”
With officials within her faculty unable to help, she sought outside help from the Faulty of Law where a female lecturer advised her to report the matter to the university authorities.
As soon as Mr Olaleye learnt that the matter was being escalated, he reportedly released Ms. Afolayan’s result which had been withheld alongside a few others. The released result showed that the student passed.
In response to the student’s complaint, the university authorities set up a probe panel headed by Yetunde Ajibade, the provost of the university’s postgraduate college. Ms Ajibade, a professor, is the first female provost of the college.
The panel has since met with all the concerned parties including Ms Afolayan; Mr Olaleye; Mr Omotuyi, whom the matter was first reported to; Kehinde Olayode, Head of Department, International Relations, among others.
While Mr Olaleye appeared before the panel in November last year, Mr Omotuyi met the panel on January 9.
Ms Afolayan reportedly appeared before the panel accompanied by other female students in the department who also served as witnesses.
Mr Olaleye has however responded to the allegation, saying it was false.
“She approached me with two other ladies but I told them I could not help. I only advised them to go and write their 400 level course first, and return to join us in the hall for my course.”
Mr Olaleye said the delay in the release of Ms Afolayan’s result was due to his co-lecturer, who teaches the course with him, being busy with “accreditation issues.”
Across some closed WhatsApp groups belonging to some sets of graduates of the department, female alumni members narrated similar experiences with the embattled lecturer when he taught them.
Responding, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, said that justice would be done in the matter.
“We have since gone past that stage at OAU. Nobody told us before a panel was set up, and the gender centre that was created was aimed at creating unfettered access to justice.”
It would be recalled that barely two years ago, a similar scandal involving another lecturer in the faculty, Richard Akindele, rocked the school.
Akindele, a professor of Accounting, was dismissed from the university and subsequently sentenced to 24 months in prison by a federal court in Lagos.