Sexual Harassment: NUC Boss Charges Vice Chancellors Of Varsities To Subject Perpetrators To Public Ridicule

The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed on Monday charged Vice Chancellors across the country to ensure that lecturers who sexually harass their students not only suffer consequence but be subjected to public ridicule.

Delivering his address at the Redeemer’s University Ede, Osun State venue of the 33rd Conference of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Rasheed insisted that the image of our universities are being dented by some few unscrupulous perpetrators of the dastardly act in Nigerian universities.

He noted that if the trend is allowed to continued unchecked, the future of education is bleak in Nigeria adding that Nigeria should be seen as producing graduates that can compete favourably with their colleagues anywhere in the world.

The four-day conference with the theme “Revitalization of University Education in Nigeria ” will have academicians including Prof. Peter Okebukola, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Prof. O.A. Bamiro, Prof. Ikenna Onyido, Prof. Vincent Anigbogu, Prof. Michael Faborode, Prof.Attahiru Jega, among others as resource persons.

The NUC boss urged Nigerian Vice Chancellors not to restrict their research and academic collaborations to international universities but to collaborate internally with their co-universities in Nigeria and ensure that their products can complete internationally.

While expressing optimism that Nigerian graduates can compete anywhere in the world, Rasheed noted that international communities are struggling to employ Nigerian doctors, engineers and others.

Welcoming participants, the host and Vice-Chancellor of the Redeemer University Ede, Professor Debo Adeyewa who is also the current Chairman of the Association reminded his colleagues that the onus is on them to produce graduates that compete with their contemporaries anywhere in the world.

His words: “We therefore need to encourage ourselves by stating the fact that, the Nigerian education system is not beyond redemption. We only need a purposeful leadership, absolute commitment from all key stakeholders and a sense of urgency to turn around the education sector.”

“We are glad that the current leadership of the NUC is resolutely committed to this. His style of leadership and ongoing restructuring through the NUC is heartwarming and points to a better future for the country.

“While the society is quick to point areas of weaknesses in our tertiary education system, we need to salute the courage, tenacity and doggedness of our able Vice Chancellors in moving the system forward in spite of the myriads of challenges confronting the ivory towers.”

He charged the Vice-Chancellors on the come up with solution to the challenges currently facing university education, saying all hands must be on deck to ensure the universities succeed.

According to him, ” one particular are confronting the University system today is academic corruption. I’m glad to know that African Anti-Corruption Day and 2018/as the Year of Anti-Corruption. We must turn the sportlight on our universities and our role in combating this scourge.