A member of the Queen’s College’s
Old Girls Association, and head of an investigative panel earlier set up by the
Association to investigate the matter of a Biology teacher, Mr Olaseni Osifala,
who was accused of molesting a Junior Secondary School student, but had been
exonerated by a Federal Government Panel, Mrs Laila St Matthew-Daniel, at the
weekend described Federal Government’s judgement as unsatisfactory.
St Matthew-Daniels, said, “The panel may have cleared Mr Osifala, in the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing due to fact that the Chinenye Okoye didn’t appear but does that foreclose any possible incident?
“Whether there was a Chinenye Okoye or not, there were other findings beyond her that made up the petition to call for investigation by the Old Girls.”
“One is the information given by the Principal that Oshifala had been accused five times before and this was the sixth time.
In other societies, it just takes
one accusation for a serious investigation to take place. To either clear the
person or to vindicate, premium is put on the girl-child. Should we not also
put a premium on ours?,” she asked.
She queried further that, “Is he the only male teacher in Queens College? Why is the fact about former accusations kept silent? Who are the people he suspects as out for his reputation and why?”
St Matthew-Daniels also urged that, “The education ministry should insist on strengthening processes and put sanctions against any form of sexual impropriety,” because, “Sexual harassment and improper behaviour is rife in our schools, from primary to tertiary institutions.
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Society