The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has described the BBC ‘Sex for Grades’ documentary on Nigerian lecturers as a ‘moment of reckoning’.
UNILAG lecturer, Boniface Igbeneghu, a former sub-dean of Faculty of Art and head pastor of local Foursquare Gospel Church was caught on camera in BBC ‘Sex for Grades’ documentary allegedly demanding sex from a lady “seeking admission.”
His advances were captured in a 13-minute video by BBC Africa, courtesy of an undercover journalist, Kiki Mordi, who disguised as a 17-year-old admission seeker.
Condemning the act, Gbajabiamila said those lecturers denied victimized students “their sense of self worth and left them with psychological wounds”
Gbajabiamila wrote: “The revelations in the BBC #SexForGrades documentary brings to the fore despicable practices that have victimised too many young people, denied them their sense of self worth and left them with psychological wounds that often never heal.
“These revelations call for a moment of reckoning, not only for those lecturers whose abuse of their position and the trust of their students has been caught on tape, but those who are still hiding in the shadows.”
Meanwhile, Foursquare Gospel church has asked Dr. Boniface to step down following sexual harassment case.
Professor Ransford Gyampo, a popular Lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana has finally come out to speak on the viral video of him in the BBC Sex for Grade Scandal.
According to Professor Gyampo in a post shared on his Facebook page, he was trapped by “a certain unscrupulous people, with the aid of BBC (African Eye)”.
The popular Ghanaian lecturer explained that he was targeted by some political figures in Ghana who seeks to gag him fr putting political regimes on its ties.
Professor Gyampo again warned the BBC to stay away from intruding in national issues and must remember that, colonialism is long over. Professor Gyampo further revealed he is suing BBC.
READ THE FULL POST BELOW
1. I have been counseled to be silent on a matter of entrapment masterminded by a certain unscrupulous people, with the aid of BBC (African Eye) against me.
2. Unfortunately, my students this afternoon also insisted that I say something to clear the air. I am grateful to them for the support they showed me this afternoon. I am grateful to all my friends for the numerous phone calls and messages to show solidarity. For my haters who were expecting to see a worst video, and actually texted to rejoice over what they think is going to be my downfall, I forgive them
3. I have a lot to say about this matter. But I am suing the BBC for defamation tomorrow, so I will keep some of the facts to myself for now.
4. Let me state, however, that I have not involved myself in the BBC’s so-called sex for grades and will never do so. Their own video documentary evidence could not establish this. I am aware of my University’s Sexual Harassment Policy and I have always adhered to its dogmas.
5. The lady involved in my informal conversation, was not my student and she wasn’t also a student from the University of Ghana where I teach. I, therefore, cannot decipher how I could manipulate the grade of a non-student. The BBC ignored all her contributions to our conversation. They ignored all her messages she sent to me. They ignored my objections and letters written to refute their allegations. They also edited the video to suit their purpose.
6. While I prepare to sue the BBC for carrying out the most bogus and unprofessional piece of documentary in the world so far, I wish to remind them that Ghana and for that matter, Africa, has long thrown out the yoke of colonialism.
7. We are an independent continent with our own institutions that can handle internal matters. There cannot be much talk about strengthening institutions when they are blatantly prevented from doing their work by needless intruders like the BBC. The University of Ghana where I teach, has credible outfit and mechanisms for dealing with matters of harassment. Why did the BBC refused to encourage the one harassed to report the matter? Sexual harassment is also a criminal matter. Why has the BBC refused to report the matter?
8. I am aware of those behind this, just for the purposes of gagging me. But I wish to assure them that I remain Yaw Gyampo. I wont be silenced. Their worst may be to kill me. But in as much as I love my family, I wont be scared to die in the course of keeping regimes on their toes, without malice, just for the purposes of shaping our governance landscape.
I have not engaged in any so-called sex for grades and I will stay true to my calling in doing my best for God, students, and country.
Yaw Gyampo
A31, Prabiw
PAV Ansah Street
Saltpond
&
Suro Nipa House
Kubease
Larteh-Akuapim
Professor Gyampo is one of the two lecturers in Ghana whose names came up in BBC (African Eye) investigation on Sex for grade scandal.
The University of Ghana lecturer was captured on camera toasting a supposed student who was undercover.
State chairmen of the All Progressives Congress are threatening a showdown with the national leadership of the party over recent appointments at the federal and state levels.
The PUNCH learnt on Monday that the state chairmen were becoming frustrated over the failure of the leadership of the party to reward loyal party members with appointments.
The chairmen expressed their grievances as the governors elected on the platform of the party on Monday warned that the internal crisis in the APC could destroy the party and the political process.
The renewed agitation of the chairmen followed the expiration of a 10-day ultimatum issued to the National Working Committee of the party under the leadership of the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
Recall that the Forum of APC State Chairmen had on September 23 issued an ultimatum to the NWC to address their perceived concerns.
Among their concerns are failure to secure appointments for party loyalists and fill vacant leadership seats in the party.
The position of the National Secretary had become vacant following the swearing-in of the last occupant, Mai Mala Buni, as Governor of Yobe State.
Also, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Otunba Niyi Adebayo, was recently appointed as the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.
Their chairmen alleged that they were being treated as outsiders in the party they toiled day and night to secure victories for in the last general elections while those who worked against the party were being rewarded.
Prominent among state where core party members were neglected included Ogun State, where two loyalists of ex-governor Ibukunle Amosun, clinched federal appointments. During the 2019 elections, Amosun supported the Allied Peoples Movement governorship candidate, Mr Adekunle Akinlade.
The ultimatum has expired without the chairmen getting any concrete response from the party national leadership.
One of the state chairmen, who spoke with one of our correspondents in confidence said the state chairmen were angry because their concerns had not been addressed despite the letter to the national leadership.
He said, “It is unfortunate our efforts are not being recognised by the party we have all laboured for while those that did nothing were getting rewarded because of their closeness to some powerful forces in government.
“There is a limit to everything because we are fast losing grip of our members at states who feel the party is not carrying them along.”
Another state chairman from the North said, “The situation is getting critical and our members are becoming disenchanted and losing faith in us for something that it is not our fault. We don’t know what to tell them again because it is getting to a stage they can no longer understand the direction of the party.”
However, the Secretary of the forum, Dr Ben Nwoye, told The PUNCH that they were not relenting in their efforts as there was no going back on their demands.
He said, “There is no response yet, but when it is time you will hear from us. You will hear from the party faithful; those who believe they worked hard for the party and have been left behind and out of the system while those who worked against the government and the party have been rewarded.
“You will hear from those who participated in putting the government in place in various states and have been abandoned.”
Nwoye, who is the Enugu State APC chairman, said the state chairmen would meet in the next few days to review the development.
“Discussions are going on. We are planning and we are organising ourselves. Whatever that will be done will be a collective decision of all of us and it will be made public; it won’t be in isolation,” he said
Speaking on their grievances, Nwoye said, “The chairmen are speaking the minds of the people, those who sacrificed, worked hard and promoted the cause of the party but have been left behind.
“We are speaking the minds of the contestants who have promoted the image of the party and have been neglected. The minds of the people who nurtured the party in the non-APC states but have been left behind while the PDP people are rewarded.”
Efforts to reach the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, proved abortive as he did not answer calls placed to him.
He had also yet to reply to a text message sent to him on what the APC had done to address the issues raised by the forum of state chairmen in their letter to the NWC as of 7:53 pm.
After 99 days, this year’s edition of the Big Brother Naija reality show, popular amidst youths ended yesterday. As usual, the show was a ‘distraction’ of sort while it lasted, especially to the youth. It meant different things to different people. For me, it was just a game with clearly stated rules that favour the one with the highest fan votes. I am not a fan.
The show ended with Mercy Eke, a beautiful young lady winning. She won for herself sixty million naira worth of prices and definitely a place in the show’s unofficial Hall of Fame. During the show, she endeared and warmed her way into the hearts of Nigerians, who sadly, were looking for anything to chew on to avoid the harsh realities in the country. That is a fall-in.
The same can’t be said of another young Nigerian. She’s a bold and rightly outspoken woman from the South-South. Her name is Anita Natasha Akide. While the show lasted, she was popularly referred to as Tacha. This lady was all over the news so much so one of Italian football club-AS Roma’s Twitter handles mentioned her first while wishing Nigerians a happy Independence Day Anniversary last week.
As I said earlier, I’m not a fan of the show. I rarely follow it. But, I noticed and followed the reactions of the show’s addicts. Not a few considered Tacha as arrogant and rude. She supposedly advertised her many flaws and most folks would have none of it. But, that’s the reality of the country will live in.
We live in a country where being ‘you’ may earn you unwanted enemies. Is it not supposed to be a reality show? Was she supposed to fake her life and lifestyle? For a while, I joined the wagon of those who lashed at her.
A step back from all reveals alot. What if she’s just a lost lady who found herself in the eyes of the world? She was arguably the least eminent person in that house, status-wise, when the show started. Most housemates had their lives laid out for them already. Tacha didn’t have that privilege.
We all know who Seyi Awolowo is. Mike Edwards is made, with or without BBN. Most housemates had a life. Tacha was just an instagram ‘celebrity’ before the show. What earned her the ‘celebrity’ status was her propensity to show off her body parts. Of course, it’s immoral, putting the Nigerian culture in mind. But sadly, a number of those who called for her head are her followers and people who feed on whatever she puts online to satisfy themselves behind doors.
Bad characters are bad characters; they should be corrected and not encouraged. Tacha, to me, looks more like a person who needs help on how to truly live without needing validation from anyone. She’s living as though she has a thing to proof per time. We all didn’t grow up the same way and weren’t all trained the same way. The true meaning of living is influence.
Now that the show is over, I think Nigerians should give her the chance to re-create herself. That lady needs help. Behind the arrogance is a lady who secretly wants acceptance and leading on how to live. We definitely can help her be the best version of herself by constructively criticizing her when needs be and encouraging her when she’s making effort to be better, atleast by the world’s standards. We also can expedite her fall away. It will be a shame to see her lose it eventually.
The show is over and Mercy won. Tacha also won; all housemates did. Mercy and Tacha were probably the most talked about while it lasted. The former had a fall-in, the latter had a fall-out. But, that’s not the end. The two are in the eyes of the world as it stands now. Let us help them both, and by extension, everyone we know in whatever way we can, become the best versions of themselves. That’s what humanity is all about; to show and be shown love.
Academic institutions in West Africa have increasingly been facing allegations of sexual harassment by lecturers. This type of abuse is said to be endemic, but it’s almost never proven.
After gathering dozens of testimonies, BBC Africa Eye sent undercover journalists posing as students inside the University of Lagos and the University of Ghana.
Female reporters were sexually harassed, propositioned and put under pressure by senior lecturers at the institutions – all the while wearing secret cameras.
Reporter Kiki Mordi, who knows first-hand how devastating sexual harassment can be, reveals what happens behind closed doors at some of the region’s most prestigious universities.
Operatives of the Rapid Respond Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested two suspects, Victor Remi and Ekeh Maxwell, for allegedly dispossessing a computer dealer of three Apple laptops worth N1.5m.
Remi, a foreign exchange trader, and Maxwell, a musician, were said to have disguised as buyers and lured the seller to a desolate location on Acme Road and dispossessed him of the laptops.
It was gathered that the suspects, who got the contact of their victim on Twitter, sent a message to him and requested two Apple MacBook Pro – 2018 edition laptops.
Remi, a South Africa returnee, in his confessional statement to the police, said, “I told the dealer that I was the managing director of a new company on Acme Road, Ikeja. I also told him that my daughter recommended that his laptops were legit. I ordered one for myself and another for my secretary.
“It took us a week to initiate, perfect and execute our plan. My colleague, Maxwell, borrowed his brother’s Camry car with number plate FKJ 833 EZ for the deal. We bought a toy gun and painted it. I controlled the dealer to Acme Road, because we knew that the area was desolate.
“While Maxwell drove, I sent a message to the dealer on WhatsApp that he should bring the consignment to my office. I told him that my driver would pick him up on Acme Road. We met him there and he boarded the vehicle, while the driver picked me up a few metres from where the dealer boarded the vehicle.
“He was sitting in front with the laptops. I placed the gun on his neck and ordered him to surrender the goods. We wanted to take his phone too, but he pleaded not to be stripped of everything. We told him to alight from the car and we escaped.”
However, it was gathered that Remi lied to his accomplice that two Apple laptops were collected from the dealer and that he sold each for N250,000, whereas he actually sold each for N500,000.
The dealer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that he had no idea that the suspects were robbers.
“One Uche ordered two Apple laptops. We were communicating on WhatsApp and I never had the slightest inkling that they were robbers. They used a gun and knife to dispossess me of the laptops. The three laptops are worth N1.5m,” he stated.
According to the police, the laptops have been recovered from their buyers.
Reacting to the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, advised Lagos residents to limit the information they post on the social media, adding that criminal elements were exploiting the social media to perpetrate crime.
He restated the commitment of the command to remain unrelenting in the pursuit of criminals in the state.
The first female to win in the Big Brother Naija reality TV show, Mercy Eke, and her boo, Ike were spotted in the after party of the BbNaija finale last night all loved up.
The couple who are a favorite of fans couldnt seem to keep their hands off each other.
Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested two suspected ritualists after being caught by a man, Amoo Bankoke, with the skull of his mother.
The suspects, Emmanuel Aro, 25, and Anu Olofinju, 25, were reported to have sneaked into a cemetery at Eggua in the Yewa North Local Government Area of the state and exhumed the skull from the grave.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday.
Oyeyemi said the suspects were arrested last Friday on the Ijoun Road in Eggua following a complaint by Bankole at the Eggua Police Station.
According to Oyeyemi, Bankole told the police that he sighted the two suspects at the cemetery, where the remains of his mother were buried a few months ago, digging the grave and that he suspected them to be up to something sinister.
He added, “Upon his report, the DPO, Eggua Division, SP Kehinde Oyekangun, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the scene, but met the two men on the road.
“They were promptly accosted and upon a search of the bag they carried, the skull of a woman was found in it.
“The complainant identified the skull to be that of his mother.
“Upon interrogation, the two suspects confessed to the crime and admitted that they intended to use the skull for money rituals.”
The PPRO said the state Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.
In a related development, two men, Muhammed Sanni, 56, and Raimi Abdulateef, 20, were on Friday arraigned before an Osun State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Osogbo for having in their possession a human skull.
The men, who appeared before Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara, were said to have planned to use the skull for money rituals.
They were arraigned on three counts bordering on unlawful possession of a skull and indecent interference with the head of a corpse.
The accused, who had no legal representation, were said to have exhumed and severe the head of an unidentified corpse around Okeola area of Osogbo.
The police prosecutor, ASP John Idoko, stated that the suspects were arrested on September 24, 2019, around 2.45am.
He explained that the suspects were found with a human skull, which they intended to use for ritual purposes, adding that their action contravened sections 516, 329 (A), 242 (1)(b) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34 Vol. 11, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
The application of the accused for bail was not granted by the court.
Magistrate Ayilara, in his ruling, ordered the accused to be remanded in a correctional centre and adjourned the case till December 18, 2019.
Legendary broadcaster, Otunba Kunle Olasope, is dead.
The Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State-born broadcaster, died in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday at the age of 82.
Former Secretary-General, Efon Development League, Prince Adeyemi Adejoju, who confirmed the death of Olasope, who was until his passage, the chairman, Board of Trustees of the League, said the late “Olohun Iyo of Africa served Ekiti and Nigeria to the best of his abilities while he lived. He was indeed a great ambassador on many fronts.
“May the Lord console all, his nuclear and extended families as well as the Ekiti West Diocese of Anglican Communion and Efon Alaaye community at large,” Adejolu stated.
Olasope was the first male face and voice on television in Africa when Western Nigeria Television was established in Ibadan by the Western Regional Government of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
A prominent community leader, socialite and a devoted member of St Paul’s Anglican Church, Efon Alaaye, Olasope, who was a recipient of many awards, was also honoured with the Member of the Order of Niger (MON) by the Federal Government.
He was Chief Press Secretary to the then Ogun State Governor Olabisi Onabanjo between 1979 and 2003.
Olasope was also the Chairman of Ekiti State Broadcasting Service under former Governor Adeniyi Adebayo.
Mayhem arose at Ankpa, headquarters of Ankpa local government council of Kogi state over the weekend following a political clashed between the supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and that of the convoy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Engr Musa Wada while on a thank you visit to the area.
During the clashed many people were injured while vehicles were also razed down by both parties.
It was reliably gathered on Sunday that the incident occurred when the major road where the convoy of Engr. Musa Wada was allegedly blocked by unknown people.
Sources further added that some top politicians from the ruling party in the area reportedly drove their vehicles into the convoy of the PDP candidate leading to altercation.
Many people were injured while vehicles were also damaged during the clashed as both parties allegedly open gun fire.
The State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Busari who confirmed the incident said it was a clash that only one person was injured.
The PDP Campaign Council in a statement by its Director of Public Communication for the campaign council, Comrade Austin Usman Okai, condemned the attack and urged the state Commissioner of Police, and the Director of State Security Services to immediately investigate the incidence.
