Sex for Marks Scandal: Sacked OAU Lecturer shares own Side of the Story

Richard Akindele

A former professor from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Richard Akindele, has explained why he asked a student Monica Osagie to have sex with his 5 times for him to upgrade her score.

Osagie had released a recording of him demanding sex from her for him to upgrade her score from 33 to a pass mark.

Akindele was later suspended indefinitely, and then sacked.

In a report by New Telegraph, Akindele, responding to a query from the university, said demanding for sex was a deliberate attempt to discourage the student. Akindele said:

I know the lady in the audio recording to be an MBA regular student. I recall sometimes in November 2017 when she came to my office in company of some of her other MBA students/colleagues to inform me they failed a course that I took with another lecturer and pleaded that they should be upgraded. But I informed them that it was not possible because the result has been submitted and approved by the department. They left my office, but the lady returned alone to my office some few minutes after they had left begging me to upgrade her to an “A.” She confessed that she did not fail the course, but that she had two other courses in the Department that she failed (not any of which that I am involved) but that she would need an “A” in my own course to boost her CGPA to get to an average of 50 to enable her obtain an MBA Degree.

I promptly turned down her request. She knelt down and held my legs pretending to be begging me, but was actually romancing me. I shouted at her to stop her madness, but she immediately stood up, raised her gown up to cover her face and I noticed she was not wearing any pant.

I was afraid she could shout to attract other people and it may be difficult for me to defend myself of sexual assault. So I had to gently tell her to calm down and that we will do it five times on another day and place to which she agreed and gently left my office. I had to do that to save myself from any possible accusation of sexual assault which may be difficult to prove if she had shouted on that day. Of course, she attempted calling me at other times and seeing me after that day, but I kept avoiding her.

Since then, she kept sending messages to me regularly describing how good she is in bed and how badly she needs to sleep with me and get an “A” in the course, all of which I resisted.

On that fateful morning, I left my office on campus for Centre for Distance Learning (CDL), Moro to go for the MBA lecture. As I was driving out of the university, I noticed two vehicles following… I was somehow scared and wondered what the occupants in the cars were up to. While still wondering, my phone rang and it was the lady in question calling, but I did not pick. When the phone rang the third time, I picked and sensing danger with cars behind me, I decided to play along with her request, and that was what led me to demand five times of sex and for her to come to my office.

I have evidence and proof that she naked herself and harassed me sexually and I have a naked picture she sent to my WhatsApp contact, pressing that she wanted to have sexual intercourse with me. I have known this lady to be a bad behaved lady and as if she is a psychotic person.

Osagie refused to comment on the new information. However, her counsel Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, Executive Director, Women Advocates, Research and Documentation (WARDC), Osagie said it’s an attempt to wage a media war against her.

Akiode-Afolabi, responding to New Telegraph’s enquiry for comments, said:

Which fresh facts again? Did you see the school’s conclusion? Because the school came to the conclusion that she did not harass the man. Where did you now get your own facts? I hope it is not that the media want to feed fat on this story.

But if you have facts, disclose now but we won’t hesitate to go to court o. This is because the girl has been embarrassed a lot and so if you people bring it up again and embarrass her, we would not take it lightly. She cannot comment on this matter any longer because the case is even before the court. So she cannot start denying anything. If you guys have anything, bring it out.

The school did a fact-finding of three levels and came to the conclusion that she didn’t harass anybody.

I am aware of all these messages you are saying, but please check your facts very well and look at the time you want to be bringing them out. So I am not going to speak to you on this, if you have your facts, bring them out and we will reply at the appropriate time. If we need to go to court, we will go to court.

When contacted for comments, OAU’s Vice Chancellor Eyitope Ogunbodede, said: “Prof. Akindele provided information that Ms. Osagie sent him nude pictures, but the panel did not consider that as sufficient justification for his actions and inaction.”

Ogunbodede added:

Let me tell you that the university was not silent on the lady. If you read the press release, you would see that we really mentioned something relating to her in the report, but lecturers are supposed to act ‘in loco parentis’ for students. Even though Prof. Akindele provided the nude pictures, the right thing for him to do would have been to report her to appropriate authorities. And even as a stronger partner, Prof. Akindele had every right to discipline the student.

And honestly, if our student had also been found culpable, the ideal thing would be to discipline the student. But in this case, this lady is no longer with us. The lady came for a programme, but she did not complete her programme within the stipulated time, and so she is not a registered student of our school. As at the time the issue came up, she was trying to resolve her failed courses, but could no longer come in to register. So the situation would have been different if she was our student. But in this case, the lady is not entitled to our certificate.”