My friend only approached Dr A. to complain about her abysmal exam score for she was sure beyond a reasonable doubt that she did far better than her results showed at semester end. Like University regulation allows, my friend, resolved to call for her paper and approached our lecturer to kick-start the process but instead of launching an investigation into her complain, baba was more intent on launching himself into her pants.
I can recollect vividly as well that some female students were so frustrated and helpless as a result of the myriad of unwarranted sexual advances from our dear lecturers that they had to write an anonymous letter to the Head of Department to register their discomfort at the uncouth way that some lecturers were harassing them with the pendulous sword of Damocles hanging loosely between their legs. Many of our lecturers are like ‘’Pan’’ the Greek god of sexual desire and the fire of their libido is unquenchable. Is it not even funny that in some departments, students know the kind of ladies (petite or buxom) who are at risk of harassment in the hands of certain lecturers? “Do you want it hard or soft?”, “Like a pen and its cover”; please don’t ask me for details.
Moreover, when the news of Professor Akindele’s dismissal from OAU broke, someone I know posted this on a mutual WhatsApp group when the issue was being deliberated; “when I was in 100 level, there was a Professor in his sixties who used to ask us, young ladies, to sit on his lap and he’d touch himself. The most that you could do was run away, not even think of reporting. To whom?’’
The case of Professor Akindele and Monica Osagie lucidly typifies the ubiquity of sexual harassment in our ivory towers. Saddening it is, however, that many cases go unreported and those who have been victims of this nefarious act hold the toxic secrets of such encounters in their hearts. Perpetrators of sexual harassment (especially in places like universities where the system thrives on power dynamics of the superior/subordinate hierarchy) know well the power they hold and how that power cows targets into ‘’omerta’’ silence. They know for sure that targets, for fear of shame, stigmatization, humiliation and embarrassment are not likely to speak out and that silence continues to embolden the perpetrators while feeding the monster of sexual exploitation.
By speaking up, Monica Osagie has saved a vast number of female students within and beyond the walls of OAU from the trauma of possible sexual harassment. She dared to be the first domino and I hope that more women will brave the odds and not keep mute when faced with the threat of sexual exploitation for secrecy about this apparent injustice will do all of us great harm and no good.
It is evident that the odds of our society are stacked against women and if we do not speak up, it is highly probable that my girl children or your own girl child will suffer the fate of harassment in the hands of raunchy hypocrites like Professor Akindele. In the words of a great woman ‘when you keep harassment to yourself, like a secret shame, then you don’t know who else is suffering (or will suffer) as you are (have)’.
Finally, while I commend the Governing Council of my Alma Matter (Greatest Ife, Articulate Ife, ever Conscious Ife, ever Vigilant Ife) for standing out firmly for justice and fairness, I believe more should be done. Great Ife and all other Nigerian universities (for non-Nigerians reading this, there are only two universities in Nigeria; Great Ife and all others) should build proactive systems that will protect our gentle female scholars from harassment rather than being content with reactive inquiries that might cause untold humiliation and emotional trauma. Enacting anti-sexual harassment policies and establishing well-managed counselling units that will lend quality ‘’eartime’’ to students facing threats of harassment is a good start.
Godspeed the day when young girls and grown women across the world will be free from the shackles and manacles of inequality. Till then, we will march with ideas chanting the chorus of Amandla Awethu …