..Sen Ndoma Egba Urged to intervene as VC claims innocence of allegations
By Editor
The lingering sexual harrassment scandal rocking the Federal University of Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State may have assumed a worrisome anti-climax as the umbrella Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities SSANU-NWC is considering a desperate option of calling the attention of the 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, among others to intervene in defence of one of their own.
At the heat of the crisis is the head of the institution, Prof Abayomi Sunday Fashina currently being investigated over alleged sexual harrassment of a married senior staff of the university Engr Mrs Folasade Adebayo.
The latest move by the women group according to confirmed sources from the institution, was not unconnected with alleged delay tactics deployed by the committee set up by the university Governing Council to investigate the matter but had resulted to what a source described as “delay tactics and failure to release the panel’s report in order to cover the truth”
According to independent investigation by our reporter, the investigation committee’s report was given a mandate of two weeks since inauguration about two months ago to submit it’s report, but the process had been twice postponed for no justifiable reason given room for allegations of compromise and delay tactics.
This was, as the fate of two principal officers of SSANU FUOYE’S chapter reportedly suspended for their role in demanding justice for their collegue is still hanging in the balance pending the outcome of the committee’s report.
Sensing danger that the matter might be swept under the carpet, the women group under the aegis of SSANU-NWC has in addition, threatened to stage a protest to the National Assembly if nothing was done against the Vice Chancellor who they demanded for his sack to pave way for an independent unbiased and thorough investigation.
In a related development, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Fasina, has consistently echoed his innocence of the allegation, claiming that he never harassed the lady in question sexually and that the Police that investigated the allegation have given him a clean report.
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.
However, all attempts to get Mrs Adebayo’s side of the story proved abortive as calls made to her line was not answered as at time of filing this report.
But the Vice Chancellor has claimed that the lady in the petition she sent to the Council did not mention anything like sexual harassment.
“So for me it is a 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.
Also, at the SSANU’s 50th Regular National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held at the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, last week, the National Women Committee of the association 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 National Women Coordinator and Chairperson for the Committee, Comrade Ijeoma Basil Kalu, the women 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 persistence advances, which they said “is clearly a case of sexual harassment.”
According to them: “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 work place.”
“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.”
Prof Fashina in another statement said:
“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.”
As all eyes are on the committee report, the Pro Chancellor of the University and Chairman of the Governing Council, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, also said that he was waiting for the panel set up to investigate the matter to submit its report
His words; “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.
However the spokesperson of the institution Dr Wole Balogun in a chat with our correspondent last night absolved his principal of any blame saying that the motive of the whole saga was political
His words: “Let me categorically assure you that my principal will survive this unnecessary media onslaught because we all know that the underlining ambition is political”
