By our reporter| Two lecturers of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, who were involved in a sex-for-marks scandal, Boniface Igbeneghu, and Samuel Oladipo, have been dismissed by the institution.
The decision coming almost two years after the two lecturers were exposed in a 52-minute documentary by BBC Africa, was taken by university’s new governing council, which is headed by a medical practitioner and an alumnus of the institution, Lanre Tejuoso.
In a statement on Wednesday by the university’s communication unit, corporate affairs division at the office of the vice-chancellor, the dismissals were effective from Monday, May 31.
“The Governing Council of the University of Lagos, at its meeting on Monday, May 31, 2021, approved the immediate dismissal of Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu of the Department of European Languages and Integration Studies, Faculty of Arts, and Dr. Samuel Omoniyi Oladipo of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, from the services of the University, the statement read.
“Council, at its meeting, considered the report and findings of the Senate Committee set up to investigate allegations of sexual harassment levelled against them in a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service Investigative Series titled AFRICA EYE (which centred on sexual harassment in tertiary institutions)
“The Council consequently decided and approved that both Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu and Dr. Samuel Omoniyi Oladipo be dismissed from the services of the university for misconduct, with effect from Monday, May 31, 2021, in line with section 18 of the University of Lagos Act 1967.”
The university added that the council had mandated the university authorities to review its sexual harassment policy “as may be necessary and institute effective strategies to prevent future occurrence.”
It will be recalled that the BBC on October 7, 2019, released the documentary which focused on the inappropriate sexual advances of four lecturers from both the University of Ghana and UNILAG.
The quartet, Ransford Gyampo and Paul Butakor from the Ghanaian university and Messrs Igbeneghu and Oladipo from UNILAG were captured in the video which went viral.
The two West African universities immediately announced the suspension of the lecturers involved.
And in the case of UNILAG, Virgil Onyene, a professor, was appointed to chair the investigative panel to unravel the circumstances surrounding the allegations and make recommendations.
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