UNILAG won’t cover up sex-for-marks allegations against two lecturers —VC

Tunbosun Ogundare |

Lagos

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

He also said that the extant law on the act would take its full course on the concerned lecturers should they be found culpable of the crime.

The two dons, Dr Boniface Igbenegbu of the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies and Dr. Samuel Oladipo of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, were both exposed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in a sexual harassment documentary aired in October this year.

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

According him, there is a due process to follow on cases of sexual allegations and other forms of immoral acts against any member of staff of the university.

“And you are all aware that the university has done the needful by first of all suspending both lecturers and constituting a panel to investigate them and certainly, the two of them would remain suspended from the university service until investigations are concluded and their fate is determined,” he added.

Ogundipe, explained that the investigations would be in stages beginning with the investigative panel that is already at work, after which their findings will pass on to the administrative stage  and  to the university council before the final decision is taken.

“But the university would ensure transparency and fairness at every stage. of the investigations. I must say again that the university has a zero tolerance for 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 had increased the internally generated revenues in the last one year, declared that UNILAG is fast improving in its global ranking.

He noted that the university, which has scheduled its next convocation ceremony for March 2020, is now among the best 1000 universities globally and the best in Nigeria.

Moreover, he said the university would continue to produce quality and globally competitive graduates as well as problem-solving researches and community service activities.