Motunrayo Afolayan, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) was able to get justice after she recorded her lecturer, Olabisi Olaleye threatening to fail her for turning down his sexual advances.
The student had initially flopped when she took ‘Diplomacy’ IRS 305, a course Olaleye handles with a female lecturer, Omolara Akinyemi.
This occurred during the 2017/2018 academic calendar while the student was in 300 Level.
While registering for the course again during the 2018/2019 academic session, Afolayan allegedly received repeated threats from the lecturer who allegedly said “she would fail again and again if she refuses to sleep with him.”
A senior staff in the faculty, who pleaded anonymity, said the student sought the help of another lecturer in the department, Sunday Omotuyi, on the matter but he declined.
The staff said;
“But Omotuyi declined to intervene. He said he had approached the same lecturer in 2014 on behalf of another student but Olaleye flared up and insulted him. He even walked him out of his office. He said Omotuyi was too “junior” to talk to him on such matter. He even asked the student to go as far as the office of the vice-chancellor to report him”
The official further stated that when other lecturers got wind of the development, they asked for proof of the allegation against the lecturer, and Ms Afolayan played a recorded voice of Mr Olaleye saying – in Yoruba – that,
“I promise you would fail this course three times except you sleep with me.”
A university source said;
“So, she was in Olaleye’s office and just as predicted, Olaleye held her by the hand and began to fondle her. While he was carried away, the lady turned on the voice recording application on her phone and taped all his vulgar words including the threat.”
However, efforts of lecturers in her department to help her proved abortive so Ms Afolayan approached lecturers in the faculty of law where a female lecturer advised her to report the matter to the university authorities.
This act prompted the lecturer to release the student’s actual result proving that she passed the course.
A probe panel headed by Yetunde Ajibade, provost of the university’s postgraduate college and the first female provost of the college was set up.
The panel had already met with the involved parties which includes; Ms Afolayan, Olaleye; Mr Omotuyi, whom the matter was first reported to; Kehinde Olayode, Head of Department, International Relations, among others.
Ms Afolayan appeared before the panel along with other female students who served as witnesses.
Premium Times reports that Olaleye denied the allegation verbally when interviewed by newsmen and in a written response to a query he was served by the university’s authorities, Ms Afolayan said she had been advised to keep sealed lips until the university makes its verdict public.
Olaleye reportedly said;
“I didn’t know her until the timetable issue came up.
“She approached me with two other ladies but I told them I could not help. I only advised them to go and write their 400 level course first, and return to join us in the hall for my course.”
On why Afolayan’s result was withheld for a long time, Olaleye blamed it all on his colleague who he claimed was sorting out her accreditation issue. Asides being unable to recall when he got a job at the university, Olaleye reportedly couldn’t explain why he is yet to get his doctorate degree after enrolling for the program 13 years ago.
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