The University of Port Harcourt, one of Nigeria’s foremost universities, has banned the act of hugging between lecturers and female students in the school in its new policy against sexual harassment. Henceforth, the university says, those found guilty will be punished severely by the school authority.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ndowa E. S. Lale at the launch of the policy ceremony, which held at Ebitime Banigo hall, said the University decided to raise the bar on sexual harassment to ensure that the young men and women put in charge of lecturers are protected, especially from antics of sexual predators who use their privileged positions to blackmail or railroad their unwilling students or subordinate staff into granting them sexual favours.
According to the VC, the management of the University in the policy document defined the rules of engagement in terms of the acceptable interactions between lecturers, administrators and students, including visitors to the university. Prof Ndowa vowed that sanctions would be meted to erring members of staff. He also added that there was a robust in-built system to ensure that those who are innocently accused are protected.
He warned that any person (Lecturer or Administrator) so accused would be presumed guilty until he or she could prove otherwise under the established rules of fair hearing. In his statement, the V.C also reiterated that henceforth, lectures and administrators who did not remember to tell their tailors to sew zippers in front of their trousers should be ready to bear the consequences of their amorous liaison with female students.
Prof. Ndowa also warned that the same applied to students who harassed lecturers to award them undeserved grades, saying they should equally be ready to face the music if and when caught in the act of self advertisement to their lecturers.
