Last updated on January 7th, 2022 at 12:47 pm
Osun State University (UNIOSUN) may not be a World no. 1 institution, but the recent video sex scandal involving one of the university’s lecturers has put the state-owned institution “search-friendly” on Google.
Sex scandal or sex for grades is a popular epidemic in Nigerian institutions, beginning from secondary schools. To test the fame of UNIOSUN, I fed Google search with UNIOSUN, and the third result Google coughed out was “Trending: UNIOSUN lecturer in sex scandal video.”
UNIOSUN sex video scandal: A reality of Mr. Lecturer
When one of Nigeria’s controversial hip-hop artistes Mr Abdulkareem released a solo album titled “Mr Lecturer” some years back, it received wide criticisms from among academics. They claimed that the song portrays the academic community in a bad light.
Mr. Lecturer is a song that addresses the problem of students using money and sex to solicit higher grades in Nigerian colleges and universities, as well as male lecturers exploiting female students by requesting sex and money in exchange for good grades.
How UNIOSUN sex video scandal started
Nigeria’s giant newspaper firm The Punch had through its Osun State correspondent Femi Makinde exclusively obtained and reported a sex scandal video which captures Dr. Wale Ojoniyi, a lecturer at the school’s Department of Languages and Linguistics, and a 400 level student of the institution, Mercy Ikwue.
The student was said to have released the over 30-minutes sex video clip where the lecturer was alleged to have been caught naked. Dr. Ojoniyi didn’t deny whether he was or not in the video clip, he rather said, “When you know the truth, it will either set you free or imprison your conscience. And very soon, you will know the truth… ”
In most of Nigeria’s higher institutions, sex for marks, sex for smooth project supervision is a common phenomenon. But more than 95% of such cases are rarely reported. Female students are always afraid of being dealt with by powerful forces.
The sex video scandal rocking UNIOSUN is coming at a time the former State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, appointed a prominent and disciplinarian Nigerian lawyer, Alh. Yusuf Alli, SAN, as the Pro-Chancellor and head of Governing Council of the institution. Alli is known for hard work and integrity in the legal profession in Nigeria.
The first major task for the newly appointed Pro-Chancellor, Alli, will be to set up a panel to probe the trending sex video scandal rocking the 10-year old university.
Coincidentally, the new man at the helm of affairs is a respected lawyer.
Ojoniyi challenges Femi Makinde, Ikwe Ejiro Mercy, others to a public investigation
Ojoniyi, a PhD holder in Literary Theory and Criticism in a swift reaction published an open letter on his Facebook wall on August 12, 2016, threatening legal action against The Punch, while at the same time pointing accusing fingers at other prominent academics within and outside the institution.
The man at the centre of the storm challenged Femi Makinde, his accuser (Mercy) and several other people to public discuss. Still, he doesn’t deny having affair with the said Mercy.
Olabode Wale Ojoniyi Accuses Provost of Adeyemi College of Education
Open Letter to Nigerians and the Whole World on the alleged “UNIOSUN lecturer in sex scandal video”
1. I am Olabode Wale OJONIYI, the man in the eyes of the storm of Femi Makinde’s “UNIOSUN lecturer in sex scandal video” published in The Punch of 11th August 2016.
2. While I have instructed my Lawyers to take appropriate legal steps on the said report in The Punch of yesterday, 11th August 2016, I am using this medium to inform Nigerians and the whole world that I am ready for an open live television media investigation of the said allegation against me provided that:
a. The said lady in the report Ikwe Ejiro Mercy will be invited and present.
b. Dr. Amao Temitayo Ayanbisi, the woman who collected money from students to alter their grades and contracted their projects out to academic machineries will be invited and present.
i. This is the woman I spearheaded her investigation, who was found guilty by the University on the strength of the evidence I provided and was dismissed from the University.
ii. She is one of the people who gave a contract of blackmailing me to Ikwe Ejiro Mercy.
c. Professor Olukoya Ogen, Provost Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, the man who brought the purported video of me to the University to claim that I am ‘one of the people changing grades for students for sexual gratification will be invited and present’.
- He is the one who brought two fake SSS to the University…
- ii. The one who ran away and refused to honour the University Panel investigating the case when his criminal conspiracy with Dr. Amao T.A to blackmail me was discovered.
- d. Professors Alebiosu O. C and Akintayo D. I both of Uniosun who threatened me to drop the case and evidence against Dr. Amao T.A before she was dismissed by the University will be invited and present.
- They are the main two out of the four people who attempted to force and blackmail me to negotiate a settlement with Dr. Amao T.A and Professor Olukoya Ogen.
- ii. They are the ones who vowed that I cannot make any academic progress again if I do not negotiate with Professor Olukoya Ogen and his group of blackmailers.
- e. Femi Makinde of The Punch and his alleged Petitioners will be invited and present.
I am here pleading with well-meaning Nigerians and any reputable television media organisation to quickly organise and call for this open media investigation panel on this case.
3. I sincerely look forward to this open panel.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Olabode Wale OJONIYI, PhD.
Fighting back to keep his job
Ojoniyi said he had consulted his legal team to take appropriate legal action against The Punch over the publication. If The Punch report was not true, the newspaper may be heading towards paying millions of naira in damages (defamation).
But if the findings by yet to be inaugurated an investigative panel of UNIOSUN indicted Dr. Ojoniyi, he may be on his way out of the payroll of the Osun State Government.
The newspaper was once sued by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who slammed millions of naira as damages on the newspaper, but the case was later settled out of court.
Osun State University is a multi-campus university established by the Osun State Government under the administration of Governor Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
The university currently operates six campuses distributed across the six administrative/geopolitical zones of the state. Nigeria’s National Universities Commission approved Osun State University on December 21, 2006, as the 30th State University and the 80th in the Nigerian university system.
It has its campuses in Osogbo (Health science), Ikire (Humanities and Culture), Okuku (Social Science and Management), Ifetedo (Law), Ipetu Ijesha (Education) and Ejigbo (Agriculture).
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- By BellaNaija
