By Munyale Kwabe
I am sure we all grew up to stories of lecturers asking for sex from their female students at the university level. This was such a norm that most people considered it a path ladies must take to attain a university degree. I saw this happen when I was in school and I heard stories from my friends that attended public schools. However, the stories i hear never end the way i assume they should.
Let me paint a picture; A lecturer tells a student that the only way to pass a prerequisite is to exchange marks for sex. Then the said student runs to other lecturer for help and appeal but instead is met with ridicule. Then the lecturers gather and form a coup against such student and at the end of the day, the students end up paying for being the victim of a crime. This has been the modus operandi of Nigerian universities.
However, this case was different. Professor Richard Akindele of OAU stood before a federal court in Osogbo, Osun State for demanding sex from his student. The student, Monica Osagie, a postgraduate student had recorded a conversation between her and the accused. Previously, the accused pleaded not guilty to the four charges of sexual violence against him. On Monday, the 17th of December 2018, all parties reached a plea bargain where the accused pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Now I know what you’re thinking, 2 years isn’t enough. . He should have been punished more or sentenced to years. Nonetheless, lets not forget what a victory this is for women all over Nigeria. For years we’ve been accepting the norm but all that is about to change. It is obvious that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to policy making and implementation but we have to start somewhere and that place is here, now.
We don’t know who you are but on behalf of all women we want to say thank you Monica Osagie. Thank you for fighting for us. Thank you for not backing down. Thank you for sending a message.
