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Tag: OAU

  • OAU sex scandal panel report expected this week

    The investigative panel set up by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife to look into the allegation of sexual harassment against an unidentified female student by a senior lecturer of the institution, Prof. Richard Akindele, may submit its report this week.

    The university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju,  said in a telephone chat that the panel was given a free hand to do its assignment without interference from any quarter.

    It could, however, not be verified if the female victim had been identified and if she had come forward to testify before the panel.

    The varsity’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, last week, assured that the institution would sanction the professor if he was found culpable.

    In a statement, he said: “The attention of the authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has been drawn to an audio recording, now trending on the social media, of a telephone conversation, ostensibly between one Professor Akindele and a female student of the university. The recording suggests that the lecturer was demanding sex in return for grade, which clearly amounts to sexually harassing the lady.

    “Since the matter came to our notice, the university has begun the process of identifying the characters involved in this apparent breach of its regulations. The university has set up a high-powered committee to investigate the allegation and submit its report within one week.  Anyone found culpable will be dealt with decisively.”

    Also, the university’s spokesman said last week: “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.

    “The incident happened last year. We have been calling her (the student’s) line, but she is not responding to her calls again. 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 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.”

    Olarewaju said the varsity would get to the root of the matter in order to restore the confidence of members of the public that the institution was safe for all students.

  • OAU panel on sex scandal to submit report in one week

    The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, yesterday reaffirmed its zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

    A statement by the spokesman, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, quoted the Vice Chancellor, Prof.  Eyitope Ogunbodede, as saying that sexual harassment remained a serious offence.

    He said the attention of the institution’s authority was drawn to an audio recording on social media of a phone conversation, ostensibly between Prof. Akindele and a female student.

    “The recording suggests that the lecturer was demanding sex in return for grades, which amounts to sexually harassing the student.

    “Since the matter came to our notice, the university has begun the process of identifying the characters involved in this apparent breach of its regulations.

    “It has set up a high-powered committee to investigate the allegation and submit its report in one week. Anyone found culpable will be dealt with.

    “It is totally and morally reprehensible and the university will never condone such act by any worker or student,” Ogunbodede said.

    Listen to the audio below:

    https://soundcloud.com/thenationnewspaper/oau-lecturer-caught-on-tape-demanded-sex-from-female-student-audio-1

    https://soundcloud.com/thenationnewspaper/oau-lecturer-caught-on-tape-demanded-sex-from-female-student-audio-2

  • Audio: OAU probes sexual harassment allegation

    The management of Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU ), Ile-Ife, on Wednesday reaffirmed the institution’s zero tolerance for sexual harassment of students.

    A statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, quoted the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, as saying that sexual harassment remains a serious offence contrary to the anti-sexual harassment policy of the institution.

    He said the attention of the institution’s authorities was drawn to an audio recording now trending on the social media of a telephone conversation ostensibly between one Prof. Akindele and a female student of the university.

    “The recording suggests that the lecturer was demanding sex in return for grade which clearly amounts to sexually harassing the lady.

    “Since the matter came to our notice, the university has begun the process of identifying the characters involved in this apparent breach of its regulations.

    “To this end, the university has set up a high-powered committee to investigate the allegation and submit its report within one week. Anyone found culpable will be dealt with decisively.

    “It is totally and morally reprehensible and the university will never condone such act by any staff or student,” Ogunbodede said.

  • OAU’s resumption now April 29

    The Management of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife has postponed the resumption date of the institution to 29th of April, 2018.

    The decision was taken after a brief senate meeting with the university official at the early hours of today.

    The Vice Chancellor, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, said fresher’s resumption is now 29th of April while Stalites are to resume by 13th of May 2018.

    “We postponed resumption so that we can be able to renovate the different halls of residence so that it can be ready before they resume” he said

    “All internal programs like TP, SIWES and IT is to come to an end by March 30th so that renovations can start as early as possible, so that students would vacate the halls of residence” he added

  • VC: OAU ICT Park’ll align skills with job market

    The Obafemi Awolowo University ICT Knowledge Park (OAK-Park), African Centre of Excellence (ACE), Ife, Nigeria was designed to address the dearth of information communication technology (ICT) personnel in the country, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, has said.

    Speaking with The Nation on the sideline of a one-day forum tagged: Academia/Industry Engagement at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, he said over the years, the skills available have not been speaking to available jobs in the market.

    According to him, the system has placed so much emphasis on the theoretical aspect of learning. He added that the ACE, backed with the World Bank, will bring about a paradigm shift as students would be exposed to practical aspect of engineering programmes.

    “Job creation is the crucial thing for us. What has been happening over the years is that we have been so theoretical in our approach. But the ACE programme, we are introducing the practical day-to-day aspects of engineering to our students. We are, through this project, sending our students to the industry for practical experience and we are also bringing in captains of industry to also talk to the students because we have laboratories where they have equipment to develop their own projects; we have incubators where they could stay and advance whatever they have developed before it will be commercialised. This is more of a deviation from the past and a movement towards practical exposure as opposed to the theoretical framework that people have been emphasising.

    “We already have 15 post-graduate programmes running including cybersecurity and other newer areas of ICT,” Prof Ogunbodede said.

    Also speaking, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, OAU, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi said the ACE project is a World Bank sponsored initiative to rapidly build capacity in Africa in some identified domains of knowledge, adding that OAU is one of the 16 centres in Africa being supported by the global bank.

    He said the OAU ACE aims to create a regionally-recognised and acknowledged model that is driven by high quality postgraduate education for uptake and commercialisation of research and technology to advance the growth of ICT industry. The centre is actively providing launch pad for start-up companies borne out of university research activities, and collaboration with partnering ICT companies especially along Lagos axis, who will have the competitive advantage of proximity and direct access to the intellectual infrastructure and output of the university.

    “The ACE project is to develop a centre of excellence in ICT as a training hub in software engineering for   Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region; develop the next generation of scientists, researchers, teachers, entrepreneurs and product developers in the area of ICT through appropriate practice-anchored capacity building measures and enrolling new postgraduate students from Nigeria and the sub-region; stimulate creativity and excellence in research and innovation in ICT applicable to other fields and related to regional developmental objectives, in postgraduate students, with opportunities for industrial research uptake through the centre model; expand learning opportunities for postgraduate students in all the sectors, by deploying existing and new developments in ICT, for which OAU is leading in the sub-region, ,” he said.

    According to Dr Ogunbiyi, a major component of the project is the linkage between academia and industry hence this engagement, adding that the forum will stimulate a more robust engagement between the university and industry; and birth a new thinking in the relationship between university, industry and government.

    He said: “We want to create a platform where OAU and the industries here can jointly identify challenges plaguing our society and through well-grounded research provides solutions to the identified challenges. The intent here is that such solutions be innovative and can be commercialised.   There is an emerging OAU Knowledge Park from the Africa Centre of Excellence project. “

  • ASUU crisis in OAU to be resolved soon

    ASUU crisis in OAU to be resolved soon

    The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU ) Dr Biodun Ogunyemi has assured that the current crisis rocking Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) chapter of the union would soon be resolved.

    According to him, the crisis is just a little problem over the decision of the union at the National level to ‘punish’ officials of the union for their various roles during the Vice Chancellorship crisis that rocked the University in 2016.

    “Basically what caused this issue was the disciplinary measure meted out to officials of the University.  We would get over the storm soon but there is nothing like ASUU OAU pulling out. Only some persons are frowning at the disciplinary measures,” Ogunyemi ascertained.

    Read Also: ‘ ASUU won’t join NASU strike’

     The appointment of Professor Ayobami Salami as the Vice Chancellor of the institution by the Governing Council triggered protests by the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and other non-Academic Unions in the University which led to a disagreement between lecturers.

    Following the disagrement, some lecturers who are reportedly said to belong to the  Niyi Sunmonu led faction of the union in the University had said they would pull out of ASUU and stop paying their dues.

  • OAU’s ASUU pulls out of national body

    OAU’s ASUU pulls out of national body

    •Varsity forms new union

    The local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities of Obafemi Awolowo University (ASUU-OAU) has pulled out of the national body.

    It also formed a new association, following prolonged faceoff between the national and local chapter of the union.

    The OAU chapter’s decision to pull out of the national body was taken at a congress on February 12, which rejected the resolut

    ions of ASUU’s National Executive Council (ASUU-NEC) meeting on the face-off between it and the parent body.

    It was learnt that the congress decided “to constitute itself into a branch that is totally independent of NEC, adopt appropriate name and open a new branch account for the check-off dues of its members in this regards”.

    This is contained in the local branch’s resolution signed by the chairman of its caretaker committee, Dr Niyi Sunmonu.

    Last years, 732 of the 1,371 OAU academic workers wrote the university management to stop payment of their check-off dues to the national body in protest against the way the latter handled the branch’s crisis.

    Other reasons given by OAU’s branch to form a new union include the alleged unilateral removal of the elected treasurer by ASUU national president and the alleged transfer of N11 million from OAU branch account to ASUU national account.

    The congress noted that the removal of the duly elected treasurer and transfer of the money prompted majority of the members to request that the deduction of their check-off dues to ASUU national body be stopped.

    Also, the decision of ASUU’s NEC to accept the suspended and contentious result of the vice chancellor selection and the rejection of the caretaker committee to run the affairs of the union, after the presiding officers had abandoned the congress midway on Thursday, October 20, 2016, which he conveyed, was another reason they pulled out.

    ASUU’s OAU has been at loggerhead with the national body over the constitution of a caretaker committee, following the sack of the Dr. Caleb Aborisade-led executives by the congress.

    This was the fallout of the cancelled vice chancellor selection by the Federal Government.

    ASUU’s national body rejected the sack of Aborisade-led exco but the local branch insisted on Dr. Niyi Summonu-led caretaker committee and stopped the remittance of check-off dues to the national body.

    Reacting to ASUU’s NEC meeting of February 3 and 4, which expelled three OAU branch caretaker committee members and the suspension of 13 others, the council rejected the sanctions and passed a vote of confidence on Dr. Summonu-led caretaker committee.

    According to the congress resolutions, it reaffirmed its total, unalloyed and unflinching confidence in the caretaker committee and those sanctioned.

    The aggrieved OAU academic workers also resolved to constitute an electoral committee to conduct the election of its executives within two weeks and appoint a five-member electoral committee.

    Another major decision was the composition of a constitution-drafting committee for the branch for which three members were appointed.

    The branch also decided to write the vice chancellor to stop the deduction of check-off dues for lecturers at OAU due to the information that the bursar failed to implement the written requests by some members that the deduction of their check-off dues be stopped.

    It was also gathered that ASUU-NEC suspended Aborisade for six months for allegedly misrepresenting NEC, while the Akure zonal coordinator, Dr. Alex Odiyi, was issued a warning letter.

     

  • Water scarcity hits OAU, students lament

    Water scarcity hits OAU, students lament

    For the past 48 hours, the students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has been denied of water supply and university management has failed to release any circular to inform students about menace.

    students have expressed Their displeasure over what They described as The appalling state of students’ well-being on campus.

    Banjoko Alfred, a student of student, said those of them living in hostel at the permanent site had water for the past three days even at a time when rain semester examinations for 2016 /2017 is ongoing. He claimed the attention of the school management had been drawn to their plight, and hope for change.

    A female student, who pleaded for anonymity, to avoid being victimized said she had not had her bath for some days as a result of lack of water.
    “Students use sachet water to bath, cook and even wash clothes. We are tired of staying without water”.

    Meanwhile, all effort to reach the university management proved abortive at the time of filing this report as the number of the Dean of Students Affairs, Professor Isiaka Aransi was not reachable likewise that of the university spokesman, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju

  • Strike: OAU closes till Jan 2

    Strike: OAU closes till Jan 2

    The Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU ), Ile-Ife, has asked its students to go break for the holidays.
    A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, noted that the holidays was occasioned by
    the strike called by the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
    The statement reads: “As a result of the unpalatable occurrences occasioned by the strike action of the Obafemi Awolowo University branch of the Non – Teaching Staff, which comprises  Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), the Senate of the University, at its emergency meeting held today, Tuesday, 5th December, 2017, has approved that the Students of the University should proceed on an “End of the Year” break with immediate effect.
    Students have until 4:00pm today (Wednesday, December 6, 2017) to leave the hostels.
    The state urged parents /guardians to monitor their wards to ensure compliance with the university’s directive.
    The university set January 2, 2018 as resumption date.
  • OAU students advise FG to renovate National Museum, Lagos

    OAU students advise FG to renovate National Museum, Lagos

    Some students from the Obafemi Awolowo University ( OAU ), Ile-Ife, on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government to renovate the National Museum Lagos to boost tourism and education.

    The students from the institution’s Department of Fine and Applied Arts told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews, in Lagos that the museum which housed the entire history of the nation was not in proper state.

    They said that the vicinity of the museum was disappointing and lacked what it takes to attract local and international tourists.

    NAN reports that the 37 students were final year students who had come to gain more knowledge in Ancient African Arts from the museum.

    One of the students, Victor Atser, said that the museum which was known as the home of history was not well maintained as it appeared like an ancient building and was long overdue for renovation.

    “Actually the vicinity looks unattractive, no wonder we do not have huge patronage from the local and international tourists here like in other countries.”

    Another student, Ronke Okusi, said that the museum’s management must work on installing functional air conditioners in all the galleries to sustain the life span of collections there, as the entire place was not conducive .

    “Learning will be difficult here for most of primary and secondary school students. If the management cannot afford air conditioners then they should supply fans there for the kids.

    “Power outage is another problem here which needs to be solved, ”he said.

    Similarly Joseph Idowu said that a National Museum of that repute should be bigger and more spacious for large number of students and tourists.

    “The galleries within the museum are too small, we are 37 in number and were splitted ourselves into two groups to be able to comprehend what we were taught,” he said.

    Also, Bolarinwa Samuel, the President, Association of the Obafemi Awolowo University Fine and Applied Arts Students, urged government to work tirelessly to renovate the national museum so as to pace up with other international museums.

    “We cannot develop the tourism industry without ensuring that our museums are in good shape because for some international tourists, the museum is usually the first place of call.

    “The Federal Government should fund the museum properly so that the problem of power outage is resolved along with some other maintenance culture,” he said.

    NAN reports that the students lauded knowledge gained at the museum which had to do with Akwanchi Monoliths, Epa mask, Nok Esien and Benin Arts.

    They said they had been able to visibly juxtapose the difference between the ancient arts and the contemporary arts which would influence the kind of arts each of them could create.

    Read Also: OAU graduate school of controversy