OAU management denies foot dragging over alleged sexual harassment

…says three lecturers already dismissed for same offence

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife, has debunked the allegation that it is foot dragging in sanctioning a professor who was alleged to have sexually assaulted a female student in his office. 

The female student, Boluwatife Hannah Bababunmi had in a letter addressed to the Department of Linguistics and African Languages of the university, titled: “Report of sexual assault and molestation against Professor Ayo Opefeyitimi”, said the lecturer who is taking Yoruba incantations, and stylistics, sexually molested her during a visit to his office on March 18, 2022.

She said the professor invited her to his office and as she was leaving, he grabbed her from behind and continued to grope her after which he exposed his already erect penis to rub her buttocks.

The institution, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, which was made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Wednesday stressed that the institution has never shielded and will not shield any staff or student found to have committed any sexual misdemeanor. 

The statement recalled that previous cases of this nature have not evaded the disciplinary hammer of the university administration.

The statement revealed that the affected student reported the unwholesome incident on the 21st of March, 2022. 

The statement reads in part: “Procedurally, after the receipt of the formal complaints, the first step was that the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after thorough investigation, Professor Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable.  

“Second stage was the Faculty level and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Niyi Okunoye referred the matter to the anti-sexual harassment committee of the university. The committee, which also sat and clinically deliberated on this same matter, recommended appropriate disciplinary actions against Professor Ayo Opefeyitimi to the university management. 

“Of course, the university administration would have to present its recommendations to the Governing Council which has the final say on the matter, considering the status of the staff involved.

“We want the general public to be rest assured and be reassured that the present university management does not condone sexual rascality of any form, under any guise against any member of the university community from anybody. We also pledge to continue to protect our students, particularly the female ones, against any sexual predator, no matter how highly placed.

“As a mark of its zero tolerance for sexual harassment, the present university management had summarily dismissed three lecturers who had committed similar sexual offences.

“The first lecturer to be dismissed was of the Department of Management and Accounting while the second one was from the Department of English Language. The third one, who was given his letter of dismissal last month, was teaching in the Department of International Relations.”