The Governing board of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife has dismissed Prof. Richard Akindele who was allegedly involved in a sex-for-marks scandal.
This was made known by Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, the Vice Chancelloe of OAU, who announced Prof Akindele’s dismissal in a statment on Wednesday in Ile-Ife.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Vice chancellor of the university had on April 19 confirmed the suspension of Akindele pending the findings of the investigative panel.
Monica Osagie, a student in the Masters of Business programme, had released a recorded telephone conversation, which had earlier gone viral, in which the lecturer identified as Prof. Akindele demanded five rounds of sex to enhance her marks.
Ogunbodede said, “Professor Akindele had an inappropriate relationship with his student, Miss Osagie. This was established through their conversation in an audio recording; his reply to the query; oral evidence and the printed WhatsApp conversation tendered before the committee.
He had acted in a manner that is seen to have compromised his position as a teacher and examiner, in that his conversation with Miss Osagie was about examination scores and inducement of favour for the alteration of examination scores.Advertisement“He offered to change Miss Osagie’s purported 33 per cent result to a pass mark in consideration for sexual favours; this was established in the audio recording which he admitted.”
The V.C added:
“Professor Akindele operated in a position of power and authority over Miss Osagie and as such sexually harassed her. Professor Akindele was liable for all the allegations of misconduct levelled against him.”
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He then concluded by saying,
“Accordingly, the Senate recommends that Professor Richard Akindele, having been found liable on all allegations against him, should be dismissed from the services of the university”.
Ogunbodede said the OAU had a zero-tolerance for sexual harassment and would not even think of covering up such behavior.
