The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has commenced investigation of the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Prof Abayomi Fasina over alleged sexual harassment of a married woman.
The commission said he will be invited next week for questioning.
The invitation followed a petition written to the commission by a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and received on Monday, January 27, 2025.
The signatories to the petition include Gender Mobile Initiative, Baobab for Women’s Human Rights, Education as a Vaccine, BIGIF, BraveHeart Initiative and Hope Behind Bars.
The NGOs underscored the importance of the case, describing it as a test of Nigeria’s commitment to eradicating gender-based violence and fostering accountability in public institutions.
The CSOs demanded transparency, accountability, and justice in the sexual harassment case involving Fasina and a married subordinate in the University, Engr Folashade Adebayo, the Deputy Director at the Directorate of Works and Services in FUOYE.
The VC was alleged to have pressured and harassed the female staff member for sex.
Adebayo had resisted the VC’s sexual advances, leading to her removal from the office she occupied.
Adebayo reportedly wrote a letter to the Governing Board of FUOYE for intervention.
While calling for an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Fasina, the CSOs urged the ICPC to ensure that justice is served in the matter.
The petition, submitted on January 27, 2025, was addressed to the ICPC Chairman and copied to key stakeholders, including the Minister of Education, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister not Justice, Inspector-General of Police, and relevant Senate and House Committees of Representatives Committees.
The petition described the alleged actions of the VC as a “gross abuse of authority, contravention of institutional ethics, and a violation of Nigeria’s legal frameworks on workplace harassment and gender-based violence”.
The CSOs expressed lack of confidence in the panel constituted by the Governing Council, given the biases running through its terms of reference.
The petitioners demanded a thorough and independent investigation by the ICPC into the allegations, protection and support for the victim, including legal, psychological, and social assistance.
Other demands include a review of FUOYE’s internal policies on sexual harassment and the implementation of systemic reforms, as well as legislative oversight by relevant Senate and House Committees to address institutional failures in handling sexual harassment cases in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
The signatories to the petition expressed confidence in the ICPC’s ability to ensure justice and urged all stakeholders to prioritize transparency and fairness in addressing the case.
They called on the Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to strengthen its anti-harassment frameworks and protect victims of workplace abuse.
This petition is expected to spark widespread attention and further advocacy for addressing workplace harassment in Nigerian Universities.
With all eyes now on the ICPC and other authorities to act decisively and uphold justice on the matter, a source in the commission said Professor Adesina will be invited for questioning next week.
“We have received the petition and it’s receiving attention in the relevant quarters in ICPC. The allegations against Professor Abayomi Adesina are weighty and he will be invited next week for questioning”, the source said.
Recall that after the story was first broken by two online newspapers, Sahara Reporters and fij.ng, the university’s Governing Council gave explanations that were considered unsatisfactory which may have led to the latest petition.
The FIJ (Foundation of Investigative Journalism) report last week titled, After FIJ’s Story, FUOYE Sets Up 9-Man Panel to probe VC Abayomi Fasina for Sexual Harassment. But…” reads:
The governing council of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has set up a nine-man panel to investigate accusations of sexual harassment and bribery against Abayomi Sunday Fasina, the school’s vice chancellor.
This followed FIJ’s first two reports detailing how Fasina repeatedly demanded a sexual relationship from Folasade Adebayo, a married staff and deputy director at FUOYE’s Directorate of Works and Services, and how he followed it up with harassment and intimidation after the woman turned him down.
On Friday, the council formed the committee, giving it six terms of reference to operate with and report its findings in three weeks.
Among the accusations is Fasina’s confession to bribing two former members of the previous governing council to secure the appointments of the bursar and registrar.
A statement announcing the committee’s formation was signed by Mufutau Ibrahim, the registrar who is an alleged beneficiary of the illegal payment Fasina confessed to.
“The Governing Council at its emergency meeting held on Friday, 24th January, 2025, noted that the online outfits, the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) and Sahara Reporters published a series of audio tapes alleging that the Vice Chancellor sexually harassed Engr. Mrs Folashade Adebayo, a Deputy Director, of Works in the University,” the statement read.
“Because the Vice Chancellor was accused, Council excused him from the meeting.
“The Governing Council extensively discussed the issues and observed that the Federal University Oye-Ekiti has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons and that the negative stories are obscuring the remarkable achievements of the University.”
The terms of reference largely focused on investigating how FIJ obtained the audio clips published in its stories and the rationale behind recording those conversations.
It is expected that both Fasina and Adebayo, among other interested parties, will be invited to give testimonies.
Even though the council promised that “there will be no sacred cows”, there are concerns that the council ought to have probably asked Fasina and Adebayo to go on suspension to allow a fair process to take place.
Highlighting the terms of reference, the statement further read, The Council consequently set up a nine-member committee to investigate the allegations thoroughly and get to the root of the matter, within three weeks with the following terms of reference:
•To investigate the source of the viral audios recording alleging the immoral moves by the Vice Chancellor and the purchase of the positions of the Bursar and Registrar;
▪︎To investigate the motive behind the recording;
•To investigate how the recording gained currency in the social media;
•To investigate the allegations of Mrs. Folasade Adebayo, particularly the allegation of immoral advances against the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi S. Fasina;
•To review all previous actions/efforts by the police, the immediate past chairman of Council and others at unravelling the allegations made by Engr. Folasade Adebayo against the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi S. Fasina; and
•To investigate any other matter relating to the allegations.
The Council hopes to consider the report of the committee at its next meeting scheduled for 3rd week of February 2025.
In the meantime, the Council wishes to encourage members of the University community and the general public to remain calm and focused as the Council is determined to do justice and there will be no sacred cows.”
Considering that previous decision, among similar others, FIJ spoke with Victor Ndoma-Egba, the pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council, on Saturday, to know if the council was thinking in that direction.
“There is no law that says when they are investigating somebody, he must be placed on suspension,” Ndoma-Egba responded.
When told that there are instances within the university when people were suspended because they were being investigated over a similar issue, Ndoma-Egba said “the circumstances are different”.
“It depends on the facts and the evidence available. The circumstances and facts are different. We need to get to the truth first before knowing what the justice of the situation is,” the pro-chancellor said.
Ndoma-Egba did not mention who the members of the committee were when asked. “All I can tell you is that all of them are members of the governing council,” he said.
A source who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation said Ndoma-Egba had a duty to put both Fasina, Adebayo and other individuals involved in this case on suspension first because what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
“The only right step the pro-chancellor needs to take first is to suspend the people involved, including the vice chancellor. That is what the university’s rules dictate and there are previous instances to back this up,” said the source.
“The same yardstick Fasina has used for others in the past must apply here. Anything short of that will suggest the council is only playing to the gallery. The chairman, as a senior legal practitioner and senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is duty-bound to protect the rules and regulations of the university.”
The source went further to say the terms of reference are headed towards a predetermined end.
“The terms of reference of the committee are tilted towards Adebayo. How would the committee be asking how the information leaked out to the public instead of focusing on the substance of the offence? These terms are biased already,” they said.
