The war against sexual harassment in public universities in Nigeria has taken a good turn and it’s highly commendable. It all started few months ago at Obafemi Awolowo University when a professor of management and accounting at the university, Professor Richard Akindele was dismissed for requesting for sex from one of her female students who rejected the offer and further leaked the audio recording of the conversation. The panel set up by the University management found him guilty and he was fired from his position without the possibility of a pension.

The same ignoble end has befell Omananyi Yunusa Adinoyi a lecturer in the Department of Geology at the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna in Niger state. The lecturer who was accused of engaging in an amorous relationship with a female student in the university faced a disciplinary panel for his misconduct and he has been summarily dismissed FUT Minna’s academic staff. This is the second dismissal of this kind in less than a year.

The parallel from the two dismissals at Ife and FUT Minna is that these lecturers that are primarily expected to play the role of a surrogate guardian to the students crossed the line and used the power that they had over these students to either solicit or engage in illicit relationships.

It is important other universities in the country take a cue from these two scenarios by flushing out the bad eggs in its folds while those that go out of their way to protect individuals caught harassing students should be exposed. It is also important for students to speak out anytime they are subjected to such harassment by randy lecturers while students at the same time should study hard and pass their exams as at when due in other not to create an environment for such to happen.

tosin adesina