Why Lecturer-Pastor In Sex-For-Marks Scandal May Be Exonerated

Latest statement issued by the management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife, Osun State, has suggested that its lecturer, Richard Akindele, who was accused of demanding sex from a female student might go Scot-free.

Akindele, a pastor, who was caught in an audio recording, demanding for sex from a female student in order to raise up her grades from 33 to a pass mark, might be exonerated if his accuser refuses to show-up

Although the lecturer has been queried by the management of the institution, he might not be expelled if the student fails to appear.

The institution, in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of OAU, Abiodun Olanrewaju, during a radio programme on Rave FM in Osogbo, the state capital, revealed that the incident happened last year.

It further revealed that the panel set up to investigate the matter has been trying to reach out to the victimized student to no avail.

“We have been calling her (the student’s) line, but she is not responding to her calls again,” the university said.

The statement noted that the student did not want the lecturer to lose his appointment because of the matter.

“We learnt that she confided in someone that she did not want the appointment of the man (lecturer) to be terminated because of her case.”

The university lamented that it is important that it find the person who was allegedly harassed sexually.

“The panel has been set up and query has been given to the man; but we need somebody to come up that she was the one that was sexually harassed and the person is not in sight.”

The PRO said, “We have put machinery in motion to ascertain the veracity of the claims and identify the characters involved.

“As I am talking to you now, the management has taken a position which we will be working on now.

“On the day that the audio was leaked, the vice chancellor and other principal officers of the university acted, including the legal director of the university.

“We set up a committee and the vice chancellor gave the committee one week to submit its report. After that, we will know what to do.”