The National Women Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has demanded the suspension of the Vice Chancellor, Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, over an alleged sexual harassment against one of its members.
The Women Committee went further to call on Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wives of governors, the National Assembly Assembly, the Ministers of Education and Women Affairs and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and other stakeholders to lend their voice to the issue.
The women also threatened to stage a protest to the National Assembly if nothing was done against the Vice Chancellor.
When contacted, Vice Chancellor Prof. Fasina stated that he is innocent of the allegations.
He asserted that he never sexually harassed the individual in question and noted that the police investigation into the matter has cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The Vice-Chancellor, who described the allegation as mere blackmail and campaign of calumny, further said that the lady had exonerated him through a statement she made before the Police on the same subject matter that she was not sexually assaulted.
He noted that the lady in her petition did not mention anything like sexual harassment.
According to him, “So for me it is blackmail, it’s a lie from the pit of hell. We need to be fair in handling people’s cases, you don’t begin to blackmail and ruin somebody’s reputation for goodness sake.
“The point is that I am innocent of the allegation, it’s not true. In all her writing to the Council, she didn’t mention anything like sexual harassment. What’s happening is a defamation of character,” the VC said.
He added; “This matter has been investigated by the Police and they have given me a clean report that I didn’t commit any offence of sexual harassment. In fact, the lady wrote in her own handwriting to say that there was no sexual harassment, the husband was with her, she was the one that said it, not me.
“The Council has already set up a committee in this matter and the committee has invited the two of us, we have faced the committee. So I don’t want to be subjudice in this matter, I don’t want to say more than that because once a committee is in place to investigate, you have to be very careful, you must not talk to bias the committee.”
But addressing the master after SSANU’s 50th Regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, the SSANU Women Committee said that the suspension of the Vice Chancellor had become imperative in order to allow for a free and fair investigation of the matter.
In the prepared text read by its Chairperson, Comrade Ijeoma Basil Kalu, the Committee expressed dismay and dissatisfaction on the lingering issue on sexual harassment on one of its own by the Vice Chancellor.
They claimed that their colleague, who is said to be a Deputy Director in Works Department, ‘categorically’ rebuked the VC and refused the alleged persistent advances, which they said “is clearly a case of sexual harassment.”
According to their text: “This despicable act is not just a gross violation of our members’ dignity and fundamental human right but a shameful abuse of power that erodes the moral fabric of our academic institutions and by extension our female members.”
Some other demands made by the SSANU Women Committee include: “The immediate re-composition of the Council Committee already set up to investigate the matter and the re-construction of the Committee’s Terms of Reference which is tilted towards fault finding and not resolving the matter
“The immediate reversal of the suspension of the Branch Chairperson and Secretary Comrade Ben Faleye and Ayomikun Aluko who were only acting in the line of their duties
“The safety and security of our members as they are victims of sexual harassment and intimidation in the workplace.”
“They called for speedy determination of the matter in a non-prejudiced manner by the Governing Council of the University.
“We call on the office of the first lady (Federal) and (State), Minister of Education, Minister of Women Affairs, Nigeria Labour Congress Women Commission, the Gender Mobile, the ICPC, Stand Up for Women Society, FIDA and all other appropriate and concerned bodies to dispassionately look into the matter and see that justice is served as appropriate.
“Lastly, we stand in full solidarity with our members and all other victims of sexual Harassment as we will continue to fight and advocate for a safe and just working environment. Enough is enough justice must prevail.”
When contacted on the matter, the Pro-Chancellor of the University and Chairman of the Governing Council, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, said that he was waiting for the panel set up to investigate the matter to submit its report
“My position is that we should find a way to resolve this problem.as soon as we are able to take the report of the panel. I am not in the business of making people unhappy or uncomfortable,” he said.
Currently, available information indicates that both the woman who alleges the assault (a member of SSANU) and the Vice Chancellor are facing a nine-member panel established by the University’s Governing Council to investigate the serious allegations.
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