A lecturer, Olabisi Olaleye, at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has been accused of demanding sex in exchange for grades.
The incident comes after Prof. Richard Akindele was dismissed from same university after being indicted for demanding sex from a female student to help improve her grades. Akindele was later jailed by a court for 2 years.
Motunrayo Afolayan, a 400-level student of the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Administration, says Mr Olaleye failed her in Diplomacy course with code IRS 305 during the 2017/2018 academic calendar while in 300 level.
When she sought to write the exam again in the 2018/2019 session, the lecturer continued his threats to fail her if she refuses to lay with him.
A senior official in the faculty, who pleaded anonymity, told Premium Times that the student sought help from another lecturer in the department, Sunday Omotuyi.
Mr Omotuyi, according to the source, declined to intervene because he had met the lecturer sometime in 2014 on behalf of another student but was shooed away by Olaleye who described his colleague as too ‘junior’ to talk to him on such matters.
Afolayan made a recording of the lecturer which she showed to other lecturers who requested for evidence.
Olaleye is heard saying in Yoruba: “I promise you will fail this course three times except you sleep with me.”
A university source told the news platform: “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.”
Olaleye reportedly released Afolayan’s result alongside a few others when he learnt the incident had been reported. The result showed that the student passed.
OAU authorities set up a probe panel headed by the provost of the university’s postgraduate college, Prof Yetunde Ajibade.
Olaleye appeared before the panel in November last year, while Omotuyi faced the panel on January 9.
The student also confirmed meeting the panel with other female students in the department as witnesses.
The lecturer, however, told the news platform that he denied harassing Afolayan in a written response to a query from the management.
He attributed the delay in releasing Afolayan’s result to his co-lecturer, who teaches the course with him, Omolara Akinyemi, saying she was busy with “accreditation issues.”
OAU spokesman, Abiodun Olarewaju, said the university will get justice done in the case.
“There is no basis for anybody to nurse any fear about the possible outcome of the probe,” he said.
