Students of Ebonyi State University, on Monday, raised the alarm over the increasing spate of sexual harassment and exploitation meted to them by some lecturers in the institution. Some of the students told us that some lecturers in the university demanded sex, and in some cases, financial gratification before they could pass their courses.
These lamentations were coming barely few days after a male lecturer in the Department of History and International Relations of the institution, (names withheld by us), was suspended by the management of the institution over alleged sexual misconduct with female students and other unethical practices.
The suspended lecturer, we gathered, was allegedly in the habit of seeking sexual and financial gratification from students before they could pass the course handled by him. Some students of the institution who spoke to us lamented that the ugly trend was rapidly increasing in the institution. They said that it was now “normal among students.” They lamented that they pay between N10,000 and N30,000 or offer sex for them to pass certain courses in the school.
Some students who spoke with our reporter on the condition of anonymity accused the lecturer of demanding sex from some female students before they could scale through in his course. When contacted on the telephone, the Vice Chancellor of the varsity, Prof. Francis Idike, confirmed the incident. He said that although the menace of sex-for-marks was rampant in the school, his administration is making spirited effort to sanitize the system.
He disclosed that already, a female lecturer was last week sacked by the varsity’s Council over the same alleged crime. The lecturer according to him was before the termination of her appointment, lecturing in the Faculty of Education in the institution.
“I know that there is a case involving this particular young man. I also know that by Friday the first report on the young man from the (disciplinary) committee came to me. I also know that I am currently studying the report at the end of which I will send it to the management for decision. The lecturer is on suspension.
“From the management, depending on their decision, it may go to council. It is only after going to Council that decision would have been reached. If the management decision is such that, because there is a kind of decision that would be reached at the management, and then it will go to Council for final decision” he explained.
Asked about the number of cases on his table, the Vice Chancellor said: “I don’t have the total number off hand, but I know there are so many of it. In fact, there was one we just decided last week based on sex for grade.”
“A female lecturer was terminated. It happened in the Faculty of Education. Just last week, the Council took a final decision on the recommendation of the committee. And that matter has already been written and it is posted on our website. I mean there are so many of them; quite a good number of them.”
