UNILAG won’t cover up on sex for marks allegations ― VC

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, (UNILAG), Akoka, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, has reaffirmed the university’s determination to get to the bottom of the ongoing investigations into the sex-for- grades allegations levelled against two lecturers of the institution.

He also vowed that the extant law on such acts would take its full course on the concerned lecturers should they found culpable of the crime.

The duo, Dr Boniface Igbenegbu of the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies and also a pastor then in Foursquare Gospel Church and Dr. Samuel Oladipo of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, were both exposed in a sexual harassment documentary produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and aired in October this year.

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Professor Ogundipe gave the assurance on Friday on campus while addressing newsmen at a media forum to highlight activities of the university for the last year.

According to him, there is a due process to follow on cases of sexual allegations and other forms of immoral acts against any staff member of the university and that is exactly what the university is doing concerning two of our lecturers alleged of sexual molestation.

“And you are all aware that the university has first of all suspended both of them and constituted a panel to investigate them and they would remain suspended until investigations are concluded and their fate is determined,” he stressed.

Ogundipe, who is the 12^th vice-chancellor of UNILAG with a current students’ population of over 57,000, explained that whatever the investigative panel come up with would go to the administrative investigative stage and then to council before final conclusion is made.

“And the university would ensure every stage is thorough and fair to those concerned. This is to show that the university has a zero-tolerance on immoral acts and at the same time, the whole world is watching us”

Prof Ogundipe who said the university had been able to attract up to N7 billion research grants from external bodies including the World Bank and increase the internally generated incomes in the last one year, declared that UNILAG is fast improving in the global ranking.

He noted that the university is among the best 1,000 universities globally and the best in Nigeria.

He, however, said the university would continue to produce quality and globally competitive graduates as well as problem-solving researches and community engagement activities.