Senate Probes OAU Sex-for-marks Scam
The Senate has begun probe into the alleged sexual harassment scam between a student in the Masters of Business programme at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife, Monica Osagie and a lecturer of the institution, Professor Richard Akindele.
Senate Chamber The Senate also expressed worry over what it described as the growing trend of sexual harassment in higher institutions of learning in the country.
Against this backdrop the Senate, yesterday, mandated the chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Barau Jibrin, to carry-out a full scale investigation of the case “in order to ensure that there is transparency and accountability, and that satisfactory justice is done to the victim involved and our laws are further strengthened for effectiveness.”
The Upper Chamber also urged the House of Representatives to move quickly to concur with the Senate bill on Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions (Prohibition) Bill which has been transmitted to the House, saying “this will provide succour and a window of solace for victims of these kinds of atrocities across the country in our higher institutions of learning.”
Resolutions of the Senate were a sequel to a motion by Deputy Senate Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi, PDP, Ekiti South and entitled: ‘The growing trend of sexual harassment in the higher institutions of learning.’
Presenting the motion, Senator Olujimi lamented that “the growing culture of sexual harassment in our institutions of higher learning; and the psychological, physiological and emotional damage, perverts in our places of learning are bringing upon our children in school as a result.
“It was for this reason in October 2016; the Senate passed the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions (Prohibition) Bill, and prescribed severe punishment for lecturers and academic staff of universities, who either sexually harass or assault their male or female students.”
