Lecturers acting like a demigod is no longer a new thing in the country.
Yes, I tell you that some lecturers are worse than death. The ongoing saga at the University of Lagos, Akoka shows the type of lecturers that we have in Nigerian institutions.
The pay-for-grades and sex-for-grades have always been happening in the institution even before the Unilag saga. You bet this won’t even stop this ugly incident at any moment from now until there is a capital punishment put in place.
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The University of Lagos, Akoka, has suspended Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu of the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies, Faculty of Arts after he was filmed making sexual advances to an ‘admission seeker’ that went viral on social media.
The shameful part of the story, Igbeneghu, is a pastor at the Foursquare Gospel Church. However, news reports said he has been suspended by the church over the footage, which went viral on social media on Monday. This looks like a great judgement but will he change?
We still have many lecturers out there that take advantage of innocent undergraduates and admission seekers.
My good friend, Akinbamiro Akinniyi shared a message with me about her sister at the same University of Lagos, Akoka. In the message, a lecturer was demanding 650,000 naira from her sister who is currently a postgraduate student. The money would be for the completion of her master’s degree project. After many pleas, the lecturer lowered the fee to 500,000 naira. Isn’t that exploitation of the highest order? A daylight robbery indeed.
Isn’t it a shame when all these lecturers that are meant to shape the future are the ones destroying the future. A student finds it tough to get admission, struggles to graduate, and even finds it tougher to stay relevant after graduation. Shame on our lecturers!
According to the footage, Igbeneghu, a former sub-dean in the faculty, told the 17-year-old girl about a cold room where lecturers sleep with girls to give them undeserving marks. This statement is enough to screen the whole lecturers in that institution.
We all know the whole story so I won’t waste more time talking about it. I will rather go straight to the point. We all can learn something from this ugly scenario that has eaten deep into our educational sector.
Blame some parents for this trash happening.
Yes, blame parents for everything. There are many parents out there who will always seek shortcuts, and would not mind paying lecturers to give their children admission.
During my secondary school days, I know some parents who bought WAEC results for their children, I know some who paid for special centers and bribed some WAEC invigilators. The list is endless.
Adeleke Lekan also shared this with me in one of my previous articles. He talked about an ugly scenario that involved an invigilator and a school during a WAEC exam. The invigilator left immediately the exam started and the students were allowed to copy from the chalkboard. The invigilator was rewarded with a brown paper bag which definitely contains money. This type of students can never do well in higher institutions. They will always succumb to the demands of the lecturers. Since their foundations have been faulty, they can only build erroneous structures on it.
When I was seeking admission to the University of Ibadan, I recalled a lecturer who placed a call to an admission seeker. He asked if she would accept a particular course of study since the one she wants has been occupied. From their conversation, she turned it down. I walked up to the man and told him that I wouldn’t mind if he considers me for that same course of study she rejected. He looked at me and said, ”I don’t know you. I’m sorry, I can’t help.”
I lost that admission not because I failed but because I had nobody to help me and I also have no money to pay. I tell you the truth, our parents have destroyed the educational sector and they are the ones running out there crying for help.
You can’t teach a lecturer how to take bribes and leave your children with them. They’ll keep demanding from them. You can’t direct your beautiful girls to a lecturer’s office all because she’s seeking admission. Trust me, the lecturer will definitely demand something else in return.
Protect your kids. Let them read to pass. Just like Felix Eshesimua would always say, ”Focus to pass.”
Nothing pays better than hard work. You can’t buy a future for your kids in a deceitful manner and expect everything to go well. Remember, a destructive means can never lead to a constructive end.