Richard Akindele, a professor of Management
Accounting at the Obafemi Awolowo University
(OAU), Ile-Ife, has finally raised the veil on
events that culminated in his dismissal by the
institution.
Mr Akindele was recently dismissed after being
found guilty of sexual harassment of a
postgraduate student of the institution, Monica
Osagie.
In his reply to a query issued to him by the
university, Mr Akindele explained that the five
rounds of sex demanded from Monica, as
revealed by the leaked audio conversation
between them, was a deliberate attempt to
discourage the student and at the same time
invite her to his office to obtain evidence.
Mr Akindele said the demand for five days of sex
was a deliberate attempt to play along with the
student. The university did not, however, buy his
argument and dismissed the professor.
The reply was exclusively obtained and
published by New Telegraph.
THE SCANDAL
The institution was enmeshed in a scandal in
April after a leaked phone recording exposed Mr
Akindele seeking sex from Ms Osagie to pass her
in an examination.
In the audio, the professor, requested five rounds
of sex from Ms Osagie, then a master’s student of
the institution.
The university initially suspended Mr Akindele
indefinitely, following an interim report of its
investigation.
However, after a full-fledged investigation, he
was permanently dismissed in June.
The Vice Chancellor, Eyitope Ogunbodede, said the conclusion
was reached after the investigative panel found Mr. Akindele
guilty of inappropriate relationship with the student, a claim to
which he admitted.
The vice chancellor said the dismissal of Mr. Akindele will serve
as deterrent to others as “the university has taken further steps to
ensure total elimination of sexual harassment in the OAU
community.”
MR AKINDELE’s DEFENCE
Evidences submitted by the professor to the investigative panel
include screenshots of WhatsApp conversations including nude
pictures allegedly belonging to Ms. Osagie.
Mr Akindele claimed that the two photos, an alleged screenshot of
Ms Osagie’s private part, were sent to him to arouse his sexual
pleasure.
According to the WhatsApp messages presented by the lecturer,
Ms. Osagie had allegedly initiated conversation with the lecturer
at about 5:52a.m. on Sunday, February 25, declaring her interest
in the lecturer. She then sent him seductive messages, including
nude photos.
Mr Akindele wrote: “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.”
Mr Akindele explained that the day the leaked phone call was
recorded, he had deliberately played along because on the said
day, two unknown vehicles with unidentified men and a lady
suspected to be Ms. Osagie had trailed him from OAU campus to
Moro Campus, where the MBA programme was being run.
He said: “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….”
Mr Akindele said if truly he had wanted to sleep with the student,
he would not have demanded five times of sex rounds at a go,
saying dating a girl would not ordinarily begin with the request
for five times.
The dismissed professor said it was only unfortunate that the girl
was faster in implicating him.
One of the whatsapp message exchanges the professor shared
with the panel reads thus:
Ms. Osagie: So ure awake by dis tym. Dis will b a good time to giv
u a blowjob
Akindele: Yes. Meaning?
Ms. Osagie: Sck ur cock.
Akindele: Haa
Ms. Osagie: Stop saying haa. So wen u are wit a woman u just
climb on her nd finish?
Akindele: Huuuu
Ms. Osagie: Just saying. Mayb we can try d 69 position 1 day.
Akindele: Meaning
Ms. Osagie: Dis one is ur assignment google and find out wat it
means.
Then Prof. Akindele sent two pictures wishing her happy Sunday
and saying good morning. But enraged by these messages from
the lecturer, the student replied as follows:
Ms. Osagie: Are u kiddin me. I thought u were goin 2 send me
pictures of a man sckin a girl’s pu**y while she s*cks the man’s
dick.
Akindele: Ok.
Ms. Osagie: No, it is not okk, let me send u mine but you won’t
show anybody ooo
Akindele: Ok.
Ms. Osagie: Promise?
Akindele: Yes.
Following this pledge, Ms Osagie sent in pictures of her private
parts and followed with other conversations.
MONICA KEEPS MUM
New Telegraph’s effort at getting comments from Ms Osagie
were unsuccessful. She refused to comment on the matter,
querying reasons behind the introduction of the evidences at this
stage.
Speaking through her counsel and Executive Director, Women
Advocates, Research and Documentation (WARDC), Abiola
Akiode-Afolabi, Ms Osagie accused the media of attempting to
wage a media war against her, saying she had been traumatised
enough to warrant another round of public disgrace.
According to Ms Akiode-Afolabi, the university has exonerated
Ms Osagie after reviewing all evidences tendered before it, and so
she would not tolerate any fresh facts, which she described as an
afterthought.
She 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.”
VC REACTS
In his response to enquiries from New Telegraph, the university’s
Vice-Chancellor, Eyitope Ogunbodede, confirmed that the
institution received the seductive messages by Ms. Osagie to Mr
Akindele as part of the lecturer’s responses to his query, but that
they were not sufficient enough to exonerate him.
According to Mr Ogunbodede, the evidences showed that the two
were found culpable, but that in the circumstance, there was a
weaker partner and a stronger partner.
“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.”
The don added that all laid down procedures were followed
before reaching the conclusion.
He explained that the panel had also considered punishing Ms.
Osagie, but found out that she was no longer the university’s
student because she had overstayed on her MBA programme and
so had lost her studentship.
The VC said: “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.
KEven
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.”
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