From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Vice Chancellor of Imo State University (IMSU) Owerri, Professor Uchefula Chukwumaeze, has urged students of the institution to speak out against sexual harassment by any lecturer or individual from the university.
This statement came in response to claims made by a team from the Africa For Alliance (AFA), who paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday. The team highlighted that a survey conducted by the organisation revealed a high level of sexual harassment incidents at IMSU in the South East region.
Professor Chukwumaeze acknowledged that such incidents had occurred in the university but emphasised that, under his leadership, efforts have been made to address and eliminate these issues. He referred to the measure he adopted when he assumed office as Vice Chancellor in 2022, which involves students and staff reporting incidents through an email address “[email protected]”.
He said, “I’m aware that there is sexual harassment in Imo State University. When I became the Vice Chancellor in 2022, I felt that sexual harassment and other social vices must be confronted head-on. But the problem with sexual harassment is that it’s often surrounded by threats.”
“The challenge is getting victims to speak out, report the issue, and bring those involved to justice. As a professor of criminal law, I always stress that sexual harassment is not only between a lecturer and a student; it can happen between a lecturer and staff. We need to stop viewing sexual harassment as a one-dimensional issue, as it can happen in any direction — from a man to a woman, or vice versa.”
To encourage students to speak out and assure them of protection, the Vice Chancellor explained that he created the email “[email protected],” which was shared with both students and staff. He said, “Those who cannot come forward in person now have a platform to report their concerns. The first set of students who reported incidents saw how I took immediate action — suspending lecturers, including professors, and setting up panels to address the cases.”
“Now, on a daily basis, I receive two to three complaints through that email, and that has significantly helped to reduce incidents of sexual harassment, sorting, and the indiscriminate selling of books among other issues.”
Chukwumaeze acknowledged that while it is challenging to completely stamp out such misconduct, he assured that the administration was committed to addressing the problem. “If your research shows that sexual harassment is still high in this school, it should be questioned because we are actively tackling the issue, and this administration has no tolerance for those involved in such acts.”
Earlier, Mrs. Blessing Duru, the Programmes Director of Africa For Alliance, appealed to the Vice Chancellor to help implement policies aimed at solving the issue of sexual harassment within the university. She stated, “Imo was chosen for this project due to the high number of complaints we receive about sexual harassment at IMSU. We want to know why sexual harassment is being normalised and why people are afraid to speak out. We urge the university to pay more attention to this issue.”
She continued, “Please help us implement a sexual harassment policy that will make a real difference. We are confident that once this policy is in place, it will go a long way in addressing sexual harassment in tertiary institutions, especially in Imo State.”
The event culminated in an interactive session between the AFA team and the Law Faculty of IMSU, where discussions focused on strategies to end sexual harassment at the university.