Over the past five years, a total of 35 lecturers in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions have been implicated and subsequently dismissed due to cases of sexual misconduct. This issue of sexual harassment has been a recurring problem in higher education in Nigeria, with female students often being the victims. A survey in 2018 revealed that 70% of female graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions had experienced sexual harassment, often involving both fellow students and lecturers.
Although the Nigerian Senate passed a bill in 2021 that proposed a 21-year prison sentence for lecturers found guilty of sexual harassment, most of the lecturers who have been indicted and found guilty in recent years were simply dismissed from their positions. This suggests that the legal framework to address this issue is still evolving and has not been fully implemented.
Some notable cases include:
- In April 2018, a professor at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was indefinitely suspended over sexual harassment allegations.
- In 2021, three lecturers at the same university were dismissed over sexual harassment in various departments.
- Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, suspended an associate professor in 2019 for allegations of sexual harassment of female students.
- Imo State University suspended two lecturers in 2020 for alleged sexual misconduct.
- The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, suspended a lecturer in 2021 for allegations of sexual misconduct.
- The University of Lagos dismissed two lecturers in 2021 over similar offenses.
- The University of Port Harcourt dismissed a lecturer in 2021 for sexual misconduct.
- The Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, dismissed two lecturers in 2021 for sexual misconduct.
- A lecturer at Ignatius Ajuru University of Education was dismissed for impregnating a female student.
- Kwara State University dismissed a lecturer for harassing a student.
- University of Abuja dismissed two professors for sexual misconduct.
- In 2023, a lecturer at the Kogi State Polytechnic was dismissed for sexual harassment and victimization.
- The University of Calabar suspended the Dean, Faculty of Law, over allegations of sexual harassment.
- In September 2023, the University of Lagos suspended a lecturer accused of raping a student.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has encouraged students to report cases of sexual harassment to school authorities and the student union. ASUU also has an Ethics and Grievances Committee to address such cases, and anonymous reporting mechanisms have been established on campuses.
Stakeholders are calling for stricter laws and penalties to deter sexual harassment in educational institutions. The signing of the sexual harassment bill into law is seen as a potential game-changer in addressing this issue and making schools safer for students. Additionally, efforts to establish trust between university management and students are essential in creating an effective response system for handling cases of sexual harassment.