Alleged Sex For Marks: AAU: Suspended ASUU Chairman Opens Can Of Worms

…He is drowning, says Varsity

Suspended Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities,
Ambrose Alli University chapter, Prof. Monday Igbafen, on Thursday
opened can of worms on the institution in his attempt to fight
back.

Prof. Igbafen, an Associate Professor in the Department of
Philosophy, was suspended for alleged sexual harassment.

Speaking to newsmen in Benin City, Prof. Igbafen said he was
being victimized for asking the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ignacious
Onimawo, to account for the about N5.5billion received from TETFUND
and NEEDS Assessment intervention funds.

Prof. Igbafen said his fallout with Prof. Onimawo was because of
his non compromising approach to acts of impunity exhibited by the
VC.

Igbafen said wife of the Vice Chancellor was elevated to the
position of lecturer 1 from a position of a typist.

According to him, “We (ASUU) challenged him to be open and
transparent. You cannot move your wife from nowhere and make her a
lecturer 1 without a PHD and academic master’s degree. We have been
on the matter and he has made attempts to compromise me as the
chairman of the union and I refused.

“That led to his desperation that to insist that I should never
be chairman of ASUU for a second time.

“The university has collected more than N5.5billion for the past
five years. From the TETFUND he has received more than N3.4billion
while that from NEEDS Assessment is more than N1.2billion.

“The union is demanding for how he has utilized these funds. Is
it a sin to demand for how he has utilised our funds?”

But spokesman for the university, Mr. Edward Aihevba, said there
are other charges against Prof. Igbafen but the issue of sexual
harassment was as a result of a petition from the victim’s
family.

Aihevba said the victim and her mother testified before a panel
but the former administration did not look into the report.

He said the VC has been prudent in administering intervention
funds from NEEDs Assessment and TETFUND.

According to him, “Prof. Igbafen should not be shouting. He is
afraid that he is sinking. He should face the music. There are
other things he did and at the appropriate time, he will be made to
answer for them

“The VC’s wife entered the university as a young lady. She got
her degrees and was converted by a former administration and not
her husband. She got her PhD and was made Lecturer 1.”

Aihevba urged Prof. Igbafen to get proper education on how
intervention funds are utilized within a university system.