Three years after the dismissal of Prof. Richard Akindele for sexual harassment, the management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday, announced the dismissal of another lecturer, Dr. Adebayo Mosobalaje, for the same offence.
Akindele, who was dismissed in June 2018, was jailed by a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital.
A release by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju, disclosed that Dr. Mosobalaje of the Department of English Language, in the Faculty of Arts, was dismissed by the university Council at its last sitting, yesterday. He said the lecturer was found guilty of sexual demeanour against a female student by a committee set up to investigate the matter.
“Having exhaustively deliberated on the report of the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, which investigated the case of sexual harassment against Dr Mosobalaje, the university Council, unambiguously declared its zero tolerance to sexual harassment in any form or guise and, accordingly, applied the appropriate university sanctions for such an offence as contained in the university regulation.”
Olarewaju said at several fora, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, had reiterated the commitment of his administration to uphold the zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment and other social vices.
He said the council of the university, chaired by Owelle Oscar Udoji, has also pledged to support policies that promote mutual co-existence between all the members of the university community.ity community.
