Sexual harassment: Two UNIABUJA lecturers dismissed

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, says the institution recently dismissed two academic staff members over allegations bordering on sexual misconduct.

The don also told our correspondent on Monday that the institution had designed a communication channel for students to report cases of sexual harassment and other unethical acts by lecturers.

The PUNCH reports that the issue of sexual harassment has been recurring in Nigerian institutions with a survey conducted in 2018 by the World Bank Group’s Women revealing that 70 per cent of female graduates from tertiary institutions in Nigeria were sexually harassed in school.

According to the report, the main perpetrators are classmates and lecturers.

Though the Senate had in 2021 passed a bill that randy lecturers should be subject to 21 years imprisonment, The PUNCH reports that most of the lecturers indicted and found guilty after the bill was passed were simply sacked.

In 2022, The PUNCH reported that  UNIABUJA, Obafemi Awolowo University and some other institutions dismissed no fewer than four professors and 14 academics of various cadres on allegations bordering sexual misconduct.

Responding to our correspondent on UNIABUJA’s journey so far in the fight against sexual harassment, the VC said, “We expelled two members of the academic community. We collaborated with NGOs most of whom pursue sexual harassment matters.

“Recently, there was a major conference on campus where students came out to expose some of the things that have been happening on campus.

“Right now as I speak to you, every University of Abuja student can report or comment on a lecturer via their student portal. Every student has this. They can comment on whether a lecturer is doing well in class, does he attend class, so it’s not only sexual harassment alone.”

The VC added that the varsity council also recently approved that students could assess their lecturers. Punch