The management of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in Kaduna State, have terminated the employment of 15 staff.
The management also demoted one academic staff on account of conducts bordering on corruption and sexual harassment.
The university, however, did not disclose the names of the sacked officers
Commending the university, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said in a statement signed by Babatunde Irukera, that the decision was apt and timely.
The statement read: “The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) welcomes the bold and decisive action of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) authorities terminating the employment of 15 staff and demotion of one academic staff on account of conducts bordering on corruption and sexual harassment.
“The commission notes that this strong disciplinary action followed investigations that established unsolicited and unwelcome sexual advances and behaviour toward members of the school community, illegal allocation of, and alteration of grades, and extortion of students.
“These types of conduct materially affect the entire community, diminish scholarship and negatively skew academic outcomes in a manner that violates the rights of targets of the behaviour and victimises others who are invariably indirect victims.
“The inappropriate behaviour undermines the quality and validity of education and questions the credibility of educational outcomes.
“The commission is further encouraged by ABU’s commitment to a broader and continuing investigation of others within the community.
“In addition, the commission commends ABU for this robust and far-reaching effort and the confidence it restores and promotes in our institutions, systems and processes.
“A transparent, fair and just educational community is vital for all members of the community, especially students, and the commission is keen to ensure that students, as consumers, are afforded the necessary protections, and our campuses are safe and secure always.
“The commission urges educational institutions to pursue aggressive and open initiatives to ensure harassment, corruption and other vices are eradicated from educational systems.”
However, a civil rights group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANA) to tackle the incidence of ‘sexual violations’ of admission seekers and students.
HURIWA said that while reacting to a viral video of a lecturer with the University of Lagos, demanding for sex from a female candidate seeking admission.
The lecturer, Boniface Igbeneghu, is a former sub-dean of Faculty of Art and head pastor of local Foursquare Gospel Church.
His advances were captured in a 13-minute video by BBC Africa.
Reacting to the development, the group, while condemning the university authorities for failing to rein the rampaging group of bullies in the guise of lecturers who have continued to rape female students in exchange for grades and admission, added that sexual harassment of females and males in schools have reached an epidemic dimension demanding comprehensive national panacea.
It, however, proposed the introduction of legislation to stipulate the chemical castration of rapists convicted for violating the dignity of children.
The group said that the proposal for the new law has been sent to the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen; Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.
“In Nigeria, rape is unlawful carnal knowledge of a female by a male. It could be non-consensual sex with an adult female or carnal knowledge of a female child or minor. On the other hand, chemical castration is the use of anaphrodisiac drugs to lower sexual drive. It does not involve removing a person’s testicles like surgical castration but only the use of drugs delivered by injection to render the testicles irrelevant”, the group said.
According to the American Journal of Criminal Law, 1990, chemical castration “reduces the production and effects of testosterone, thus diminishing the compulsive sexual fantasy. Formerly inconsistent and commanding urges can be voluntarily controlled”, HURIWA noted.
“Chemical castration is legal in eight states of USA although not all states make the treatment mandatory. In 1996, California became the first US state to legalize it by requiring mandatory treatment for repeat sex offenders but discretionary injections for first time offenders. Florida and Texas followed suit but in the latter state, the offender must be at least 21 years of age. In Iowa, chemical castration is allowed in all cases of serious sex offences. In Louisiana, judges can sentence convicted rapists to chemical castration. The State of Alabama law passed in 2019 requires, as a condition of parole, that convicted sex offender of a child under the age of 13 undergo the treatment which will continue until a court rules otherwise.
“In Canada, the courts cannot order offenders to undergo chemical castration – they can only impose psychiatric treatment, which can include the use of anti-libido medication. In 2006, the Canadian Court of Appeal ruled it constitutional for the National Parole Board to require that recidivist sex offenders, if found to be long-term offenders, be chemically castrated as conditions of release”, HURIWA said.
HURIWA added that there was need to put in place sustainable regime of legal frameworks to confront the hydra headed monster of sexual harassment of female students and admission seekers by lecturers.
Similarly, the First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, called for urgent action to address sexual harassment against students.
The first lady made the call during the exclusive screening of the BBC Africa Eye ‘Sex for Grades’ documentary, last Monday night in Lagos.
It would be recalled that Senior Lecturer, Dr Boniface Igbenegbu of the Faculty of Art, University of Lagos, Akoka, was recently caught on camera making sexual demands from a student seeking admission into the institution.
Also, Prof. Richard Akindele of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was sentenced to six months imprisonment for same offence of ‘sex-for-marks’ scandal in 2018.
Aisha lamented that the issue of sexual harassment against women was not unique to universities, but has become prevalent in the society, including religious settings.
Represented by a lawyer, Mrs Aisha Rimi, Mrs Buhari condemned sexual harassment against students, saying it was unacceptable as the nation’s educational system had suffered many setbacks that had hindered its development.
“This simply has to change. It is no longer enough to sweep allegations under the carpet or force victims to withdraw their allegations, victimise or stigmatise them,” she said.
She stressed that there are laws to protect victims of sexual harassment and abuse, but such laws cannot operate except victims speak out to get justice.
The first lady advised women that their dignity and self respect should outweigh whatever challenge they face, stating her support to ensure a sexual abuse-free society for women.
She commended the BBC team for their hard work, bravery and tenacity to expose the ills facing students in the country’s tertiary institutions.
Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for thorough investigation and appropriate sanction for lecturers indicted in the alleged “Sex-for-Grades” scandal in order to sanitise the university system.
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) Branch Chairman of ASUU, Dr Dele Ashiru, said, yesterday, in Lagos, that the union was against all forms of unethical practices, including sexual harassment.
Ashiru was reacting to a viral British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) investigative video which showed some lecturers of Universities of Lagos and Ghana sexually harassing female students.
“As a union, we are against all unethical practices among colleagues, including sexual harassment and even abuse.
“The development is very disturbing and unfortunate. We have appealed to colleagues to understand that as lecturers, we stand in ‘loco parentis’ (in the place of a parent) to these students and must not be perceived in any way of not being protective.
“We condemn this act of shame in its entirety and want the matter to be thoroughly investigated and appropriate sanction carried out on all those found culpable,” the ASUU chairman noted.
On his part, Professor of English, also in UNILAG, Chimdi Maduagwu, said there was need for a social re-orientation of the lecturers and others.
According to him, it is about social scrutiny, urging for enforcement of self discipline, especially among the academic staff.
“There must be a way to look into and touch these things and water them down.
“Some of us tend to be wielding so much powers in the positions we find ourselves that we loose control even when there is absolutely need to draw the lines.
“An average lecturer could be so powerful that he sees himself as having all the powers to fail or award grades at his whims and caprices.
“I believe that quality assurance can take adequate charge of some of these ugly trends,” he said.
In reaction to the scandal, the University of Lagos had since issued a statement, suspending one of the lecturers indicted in the saga.
The UNILAG Spokesperson, Mrs Taiwo Oloyede, said in the statement: “The University of Lagos management has suspended Dr Boniface Igbeneghu of the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies, Faculty of Arts.
“He was caught in a sting operation by the BBC titled: ‘Sex-for-Grades’. The trending video chronicled cases of sexual harassment of female students by some lecturers in some West African universities, including of Lagos.
“Management at its emergency meeting of October 7, suspended Igbeneghu from work immediately and barred him from the university academic areas while the suspension subsists unless invited by panel constituted by the institution to investigate the matter.
“In addition, the management has ordered the shutdown of the Staff Club ‘Cold Room’ mentioned in the documentary for further investigations. The so-called Cold Room is a Functions Room, that may have been abused because this is a deviation from the purpose for which it was created (meetings, seminars and events,” the statement read.
It stated that the university was embarrassed by the development, and therefore, dissociates itself totally from the acts and any other inappropriate behaviour of staff with female students and vice versa.
“As a reputable institution and one of the foremost universities in Nigeria and sub-Sahara Africa, we are highly embarrassed by these allegations and we will do all that is necessary to ensure that this menace is checked and flushed from our institution.
“We have zero tolerance for such unwholesome behaviour and we will continue to work hard to protect the interests of all our students,” it stated.