By Our Reporter
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has alleged that a female student of a tertiary institution in Ondo State was coerced into a sex-for-grades arrangement by her Head of Department after repeatedly failing a compulsory course required for her graduation.
The allegation was made by the President of NANS, Akinteye Babatunde, in a statement issued on Friday and titled, “Our Female Students Deserve Safety, Dignity, and Justice.”
According to Akinteye, the student had only one outstanding course delaying her graduation and returned to the institution to rewrite the examination. However, she was reportedly informed that she had failed the course again.
The NANS president said the student approached the lecturer, who also served as the Head of Department, to seek clarification over her repeated failure.
He alleged that the lecturer told the student she could never pass the course and later demanded sexual favours in exchange for awarding her a passing grade.
According to the statement, the student claimed she felt trapped and believed she had no alternative if she wanted to complete her studies.
Akinteye further alleged that after the incident, the lecturer continued contacting the student and invited her to his residence, suggesting that the sexual relationship would have to continue before she could be cleared for graduation.
Distressed by the situation, the student reportedly reached out to the NANS president for intervention.
Akinteye said although he initially planned to make the matter public immediately, the student pleaded with him not to do so, expressing fears of victimisation and stating that her only desire was to graduate without further harassment.
He said he subsequently contacted relevant authorities within the institution and was informed within three hours that the student had been cleared academically.
While expressing relief over the student’s graduation, Akinteye lamented that she was unwilling to publicly identify herself or the lecturer involved because of fear, intimidation and possible stigma.
He described the alleged incident as a reflection of the persistent problem of sexual harassment and exploitation in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, noting that many cases go unreported because victims fear retaliation.
“No student should ever be forced to exchange sexual favours for academic success. Our campuses must be places of learning, not environments where students are exploited by those entrusted with their education,” he stated.
The NANS president encouraged students experiencing sexual harassment, intimidation or exploitation to report such cases to the association’s National Director of Gender, assuring victims that complaints would be treated confidentially and professionally.
He reiterated the association’s commitment to promoting safe learning environments where students can pursue their education free from harassment and abuse.
However, Akinteye did not disclose the identity of the institution, the lecturer or the student involved.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the institution were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report, as NANS did not identify the school in its statement.
