The ongoing struggle of female students with ferocious professors

Adaora (last name withheld) was accepted to the Akwa Ibom State University in Ikot Akpandem, Akwa Ibom State, in order to pursue a degree in English and Literary Studies in 2018.

Before deciding to attend AKSU, she had attempted the United Tertiary Matriculation Examinations three times in an attempt to enrol in the University of Uyo, Uyo, but she had not been successful.Three months into the return to school period, she was being harassed by a part-time lecturer.

She claimed that on the first day he met her, he spanked her as she passed him in a crowded hallway. He expressed regret and said it was an error.She claimed that once more in class, he approached her, sat at the same desk as her, and made sultry gestures.

He wasn’t a little child. This dude ought to be in his fifties. He turned my time at AKSU into a living misery,” she continued.As to Adaora’s account, he eventually tried to talk to her and asked to visit her in his office.She pointed out that although though it was a shared office, the other instructor was at another university on sabbatical.

He got up, locked the door, and pressed his body against mine as soon as I went in. I felt afraid. I was twenty years old at the time. I was perplexed. He seemed like a father to me.The key was still in the lock, so I hurried to open the door, but he chuckled and motioned for me to turn around.

He claimed he was just having fun with me. That’s when my troubles started,” she continued.She claimed to have spoken with a senior colleague who advised her to exercise caution since the man had a penchant for mistreating women in this way.

She failed his course when the results for the first semester were announced that year.She wrote to the school’s examinations board asking for a remark since she was confident that she had written something compelling that would get her a passing score.

She also asserted that she had “facilitated” it by giving money to another speaker.However, in the second week of the second semester, an approval was received. After having her scripts remarked, she received a “D” on her grade. She claimed that, unconvinced, she consulted with a female lecturer who advised her to gather proof before filing a complaint.

Finally, in Year Three, the man—who was by then a full-time department lecturer—took another course and assigned her to lead a group of students in one of the assignment groups.She said he threatened to withhold her diploma if she didn’t “surrender” in explicit communications.

Adaora claimed that after returning to the female lecturer, who had shown her all of the messages, she was told there was still nothing she could do.She also learned about two other women, one of whom was married and had two children, who had filed a petition with the school alleging that the man had harassed them the year before.”That petition has remained unanswered until today. I penned roughly four more follow-ups.

The other women even petitioned the university’s gender unit, but to no avail.”I am afraid to leave my daughter alone with a neighbour because I don’t know what these men are capable of. I am married and have a daughter. I wonder who is safe from their fangs if a man that old can look at a 20-year-old virgin girl then and declare he wanted to have me,” the girl remarked.

The line went dead when our correspondent tried to reach the number purportedly associated with the AKSU Directorate of Information, Public Relations, and Protocol. As of the time of publication, there has been no response to text messages left on the phone line.

The threat against female students in higher education institutions is growing every day.The reporter revealed on Wednesday that a female undergraduate student (name withheld) had accused Dr. Kadiri, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, Akoka, of sexual assault.

The student said that the incident happened when she went to the lecturer’s office to discuss problems with her grades.The victim reported the incident to the Inclusive Social Welfare and Empowerment Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, and they stated that on August 16, 2023, he reportedly sexually assaulted the student instead of the lecturer handling her academic matters.

According to information obtained by our correspondent, InclusiveSWEF reported the case to the state police command’s Gender Unit. Via the OC Gender, state CP Idowu Owohunwa filed an arrest order for the lecturer via the High Court and consulted with the university’s vice chancellor.

“He is to appear in court in the coming days,” stated Benjamin Hundeyin, the public relations officer for the state police, after confirming the occurrence.Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, the UNILAG spokesman, responded by informing the reporter that the university was aware of an investigation involving one of its employees.

She stated, “On August 28, the Nigeria Police Force sent a letter to the UNILAG management calling one of the university’s employees to come in for questioning. The worker was notified of the development right away and given instructions to follow through.”The worker complied on August 29. We are working with security agencies to ensure that the case is resolved in the interest of justice, even if we do not yet have access to all the details of the incident that resulted in the employee’s arrest.

A lecturer and the previous dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar, Cross Rivers State, were accused of sexually harassing students, according to complaints made by the students a few weeks prior.

Students held protests, holding placards and calling on the university administration to step in and stop the harassment.Prof. Florence Obi, the vice chancellor of the university, has suspended the dean and appointed a female lecturer in her stead.All of the faculty’s previous male main officers were replaced with female counterparts.

Additionally, academics accused of sexual harassment at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka were formally dismissed from their respective positions of authority by the university’s administration.Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, the institution’s Special Adviser on Public Relations and Special Duties to Vice Chancellor Prof. Charles Esimone, revealed this in a press release.

Ojukwu stated that an inquiry was ongoing into allegations of sexual harassment by certain lecturers, even though he did not provide the names of the officials who had been charged. He also insisted that there had been no protests at the university.

Sadly, the students who reported being sexually harassed refused to appear before the panel conducting the investigation.The vice chancellor, however, also called a meeting of the impacted departments and conveyed the university’s disapproval, cautioning faculty and staff to refrain from any activities that would damage the university’s reputation.

A portion of the statement said, “He warned that the university management would severely punish erring staff, especially those who are molesting or sexually harassing our students.”Richard Akindele, a lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, was reportedly fired in 2018 due to allegations of sexual misconduct.