The National Association of Nigerian Students has alleged that a female student of a tertiary institution in Ondo State was coerced into a sex-for-grades ordeal by her Head of Department, after repeatedly failing a compulsory course needed for her graduation.
The President of NANS, Akinteye Babatunde, disclosed this in a statement on Friday titled, “Our Female Students Deserve Safety, Dignity, and Justice.”
According to Akinteye, the student had only one outstanding course preventing her from graduating with her colleagues and returned to the institution to retake the examination. He said the student was informed that she had failed the course again and subsequently approached the lecturer, who also served as the Head of Department, to seek clarification on why she was unable to pass.
According to the NANS president, the student alleged that the lecturer told her she could never pass the course and, after several encounters, demanded a sexual favour in exchange for awarding her a passing grade. “She further alleged that, after several encounters, the lecturer demanded that she perform a sexual act on him in his office in exchange for a passing grade,” the statement partly read.
Akinteye said the student claimed she felt trapped and believed she had no option if she wanted to graduate. “Feeling trapped and believing she had no other option if she wanted to graduate, she said she complied and performed the sexual act as demanded by him,” he stated.
According to him, the student believed the incident would end there, but the lecturer allegedly continued contacting her about a week later. He alleged that the lecturer repeatedly called the student and invited her to his residence, implying that she would have to continue the sexual relationship before she could finally be cleared.
“Disturbed and afraid, she reached out to me for help,” Akinteye said.
NANS Intervenes
The NANS president explained that although he initially intended to escalate the matter publicly, the student pleaded with him not to do so because she feared further victimisation and only wanted to graduate without additional harassment. He said he subsequently contacted relevant authorities within the institution and was informed within three hours that the student had been cleared.
“While I am relieved that she was able to complete her academic process, I am deeply saddened that she was too afraid to publicly identify herself or the lecturer involved. This reflects the fear, intimidation and stigma that many female students face when confronted with sexual harassment,” he said.
Akinteye described the incident as part of a wider problem of sexual exploitation in tertiary institutions, noting that many similar cases remain unreported because victims fear retaliation, embarrassment and victimisation.
“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 added.
NANS Urges Victims to Come Forward
He urged female students experiencing sexual harassment, intimidation or exploitation to report such incidents to the National Director of Gender of NANS, assuring them that complaints would be handled professionally, confidentially and with the seriousness they deserve.
“We are committed to handling such complaints professionally, confidentially, and with the seriousness they deserve. Together, we must build campuses where every student can pursue an education free from fear, harassment, and abuse,” he said.
The NANS president did not disclose the name of the institution, the lecturer or the student involved. Efforts to obtain the reaction of the institution were unsuccessful as of the time of this report, as NANS did not identify the school in its statement. The allegations have not been independently verified.
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