SEX-FOR-MARK: I AM READY TO APPEAR BEFORE PANEL, SAYS FEMALE STUDENT WHO ALLEGES LECTURER

‘This call is coming ahead of the Press Release dated 19th April 2018 by the school management: titled Audio Conversation, Obafemi Awolowo University Suspends Professor Richard I Akindele’, Akiyode stated.

The lawyer called on the school to ensure due diligence in this case, adding that she is concerned about sexual exploitation which has reached pandemic proportions in ‘our universities because institutions have failed to put in place appropriate mechanisms for complaint and redress relating to sexual harassment. This has led to impunity where perpetrators of sexual misconduct go unpunished’.

According to Dr Akiyode, in this case in point, Ms Osagie made efforts to inform senior members of the Faculty of Administrations about her predicament and no one was able or willing to intervene leaving her to resort to self- help in documenting her evidence.

‘This once again brought into focus the need to strengthen regulations and complaint mechanisms in our institutions, so as not to expose students to unethical advances by randy lecturers’, the legal practitioner added.

‘While we commend the University for issuing the press release on the audio recording, we call on the school management to do everything within the law and to act to ensure that justice is done and that institutional and academic ethics are rebuilt and restored in the university’.