Sex For Grade in Taraba Versity, Poly

• How Lecturers Mess around with female students

Four out of every ten female students in Taraba State owned University and Polytechnic are being sexual harassed by male lecturers, Taraba Truth and Fact authoritatively report.

A student of Taraba State Polytechnic, Jalingo Campus who does not want to be mention for fear of stigmatization and victimization , told Taraba Truth and Fact in an exclusive interview how one lecturer at the Polytechnic severally harassed her.

The student who spoke in Hausa explained she had an extra year because she refused to sleep with a prominent head of department in the school.

Although this paper could not independently verify her claims, the victim said 'sex for grades' is an open secret in the Jalingo campus of the State polytechnic.

“We all know that lecturers sleep with students but I will only speak for myself, because you won’t know that a lecturer is sleeping with a student until they have issues. But a lecturer who is also a politician has been on my case in the last two years when I gained admission into the school for a diploma course. The lecturer insisted on sleeping with me else I would not graduate with my coursemates and true to his words am having an extra year in the next academic session.

''Many female students had to 'sort themselves' with lecturers to have good grades but my refusal is resulting into an extra year, even my coursemate who are not academically sound are having 'extra good grades' in some courses taken by that particular lecturer. The school management does not have a proper channel for complains, there's no way you can report a lecturer without being identified and it usually leads to crude victimization and stigmatization.''
Investigation reveals that two head of departments in the Taraba State Polytechnic, Jalingo campus are famous for 'demanding sex from students.'
A female student said ''We know lecturers who sleep with students, even the school management is aware but they shield them because there are some lecturers who do not hide it, they openly tell you and the consequence because there's no will to bring them to book
Another female student who graduated from the department of O. T. M,  though she wrote her final year exams in 2017 and had to drop a certain course due to her refusal to sleep with the lecturer in charge of the course. She further disclosed that some student are comfortable with the act as they give it out on demand.
A male student currently in ND2 told our correspondent that not all lecturers go for sex ,some collect money ranging from 1000 – 4000 thousand naira for getting high grades.” Presently, some project supervisors collect nothing less than 10,000 naira as bribe to give high grades to students who is under their supervision as a project supervisor” he said.
 Also another victim said after giving in to a lecturer, she was surprise when the lecturer requested she come along  with her friend for a threesome sex. After having enough of me, he still wanted me to bring my friend along with me so that he can sleep with both of us together at the same time but I refused, and due to my refusal I started having problems with his course and also the lecture. While an ongoing lecture he mentioned to the whole students that I am a stubborn student.

 ''No Cold Room in Taraba State University but....'
Although there is no ‘Cold room’ in the Taraba State University Jalingo, many female students confided in Taraba Truth and Facts that they are usually harassed by male lecturers who threatens to fail them if they refuse to give in into their sexual advances. They said most of the lecturers prefer to use hotels and lodge around the school for their act.
A 300 level student at  the TSUJ said reporting lecturers to the school managements is an open invitation for victimization.
“I once reported a male lecturer who has been disturbing me since my 100 level but the school management did not address  the issue properly rather the Dean of Student Affairs called the lecturer to warn him, no administrative measures was taken. Although I passed his course but I believe he told another lecturer who is his friend to fail me.“Infact the lecturer told me I can go and report to the VC since I know how to report lecturers ,”
Another Female Student at the Mass Communication Department told our undercover reporter most female students becomes vulnerable when assigned a male lecturer to supervise her project in her final year.
“The lecturers share female students among themselves, and I can tell you 3 out of every ten female students in Jalingo are being harassed, sometimes some shameless girls fight over lecturers. We have witness serious arguement among friends over sex with lecturers.”
''When a male lecturer is assigned to supervise a female student’s project, he believes it is a license to sleep with the student. Many who resist this advances are frustrated in completion of their projects so in most cases quick project approval for female students is garanteed if you give your body in exchange, for male students lecturers collect money.
I want the school management to stop assigning female students to male lecturers for project supervision, even when they do, they should monitor the process, female students are suffering and many cannot speak out for fear of stigmatization.
 A Lecturer Who spoke to Taraba Truth and Fact said most female students cannot substainciate their claims when it comes to reporting sexual harassment but the University has zero tolerance to sexual harassment. The school has a strong policy against it but ladies should not make up cases to gain sympathy. Some lecturers too are complaining that female students are harassing them.
Taraba Truth and Fact gathered that most cases of sexual harassment reported to school managements were not properly addressed.


 Investigate all allegation of Sexual harassment- President Buhari directs

The President says Nigeria needs stricter laws to stop lecturers from sexually harassing their female students, directing University managements to investigate allegations of sexual immorality on campuses.
 President Muhammadu Buhari has urged victims of sexual harassment and their family members to always speak out and not cover up such things.
 President Muhammadu Buhari has said that henceforth any lecturer implicated in sex-for-marks or other immoral acts in the educational institutions “will serve the stiffest punishment under the law.”
He expressed worry that commendable performances of some of the nation’s universities at the global level were being overshadowed by disrepute caused by the sexual misconducts.
 The president, who stressed his administration’s aversion to indiscipline, disclosed that he had directed appropriate government agencies to decisively punish any lecturer or other staffers found guilty of sexual harassment.
 He stated: “Let me once again condemn the unwelcome attention being attracted to our universities by the trending stories of sex-for-grades. Definitely, our universities can do without the scandalous attention being paid to them and our dear nation in the wake of trending stories of sex-for-marks and sexual harassment, which have assumed a global dimension.
 “It is most reprehensible that while some of our more illustrious university staffs are making concerted effort to improve the continental and global ranking of Nigerian universities, such efforts are being overshadowed by the negative reputation of immorality and shame brought upon our citadels of higher learning by the irresponsibility of a few misguided academics.
 “For the avoidance of doubt, my administration abhors any form of indiscipline and misdemeanour. Accordingly, I have directed appropriate government agencies to take decisive actions against any lecturer or other staffer found culpable in any act of sexual harassment in our educational and other institutions.”