Management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has promised to look into the allegation of sexual harassment and fraudulent practices levelled against one of its lecturers, Prof. Richard Akindele, by an unnamed student.
The student, via a voice-call recording whicht has gone viral on social media, revealed the conversations between her and the professor of Management and Accounting, Faculty of Administration, who had demanded to have sex with the student five times before he could assist to jerk up her low mark in his course.
Yesterday, the professor hurriedly deactivated his Facebook account. But in its response to the allegation, the university told New Telegraph that within the next 72 hours, it would launch an investigation into the allegation to unravel its veracity.
The university’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, said the ivory tower had relevant laws guiding the conduct of both the students and the staff and that sexual harassment was a critical offence that couldn’t be overlooked by the management.
Olarewaju said that as a result, the university would leave no stone unturned to get to the root of the matter, “to save the image of our noble and highly revered university.”
He added: “The university is not unaware of the audio recording circulating on the social media and we are seriously concerned about the image of the institution.
The university abhors all forms of sexual harassment, whether from students to students, staff to students or students to staff. We have a committee system in place that handles such matters and within the next 72 hours, the committee will spring into action. I have personally listened to the recording, but that is not to confirm that it is the voice of the lecturer and neither could we confirm that the accuser is also our student.”
In the audio recording, the female student had called the professor, who is also a reverend, to inquire about his earlier demand for sex to pass her in his course that she supposedly failed.
He told the student that she would repeat the exam in the next academic session since she had refused to “take the opportunity” he offered her to have sex with him. “I gave you an opportunity and you missed it. Forget about it. You will do it next year,” the professor had threatened.
The student said she was calling to confirm whether he was serious about having sex with her. He responded: “Me that agreed to do something. I know what I meant. If you don’t trust me forget about it.
If I wouldn’t do it, why should I give you audience in the first place? If I am not interested in doing it, I won’t give you audience. The other person has come and I told her straight away because there is nothing I can do to bail that person out and her mark is even better than your own.
The person scored 39 while your own is 33.” The lecturer then asked her why she told him that she was having her menstruation the day they met and he demanded sex. The girl responded:
“I was really seeing my period Professor Akindele,” The professor cautioned her to stop mentioning his name, and then asked: “And now nko?” to which she replied that the menstruation had ended.
“Your boyfriend has done it yesterday?” he asked. “Is it every time that someone will be doing it with the boyfriend?” she responded. “Is it every time you do it with your wife?” “Yes,” he answered. “It’s a lie,” the girl exclaimed. “Not possible.”
When the girl asked him about the plan for the arrangement for her to have the sex so that she could avoid repeating the course, he told her that they would have the first sex the next day and on other four subsequent occasions. The girl was shocked at the demand for sex five times and asked the professor if sex was food. He said: “Is not five we agreed? Our agreement is five.”
“Is it B that you want to give me or C?” the girl asked. “Why would it be five times you will knack me?” She then told him she would not have sex with him five times. “Prof, you know what? Let me fail it. I can’t do it five times. For what nah? No worry. Thank you, sir,” she said, then ended the call.
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