The University of Calabar has decried remarks credited to the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy, over alleged sexual harassment and violation of extant rules and regulations of the university leveled against the suspended Law Faculty Dean, Prof Cyril Ndifon.
UniCal management had, on August 17, 2023, suspended Professor Ndifon, and set up a panel to investigate the numerous allegations after female law students of the university protested against him.
Prof Ndifon was reported to have dragged the institution’s management to court over the matter, and reports say he is yet to appear before the panel.
Addressing journalists in Calabar, Friday, over the issue, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Florence Obi, said the Minister’s jail threat in the vital audio was unfortunate.
“While management has tried to deal with the issues within the procedural laws of administrative resolution, a completely new dimension has unfortunately reared its head in a way that has left us nonplussed with the leaked viral audio of intimidation and jail threats from the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy, on the few girls who were bold enough to come out to testify on an alleged age-long sexual harassment of female law students against Prof. Cyril Ndifon.
“While we do not consider it expedient to respond to the disturbing things said by the Minister in the said audio, we wish to generally state that, the students of the Faculty of Law, on their own, wrote and submitted a petition and protested against the suspended Dean.
“And, as I know, those who have testified before the panel on both sexual harassment and other violations were not prompted by anyone.
“Let me categorically state here that the sustained orientation my administration has had in the last couple of years has created the atmosphere that inspires confidence amongst students to speak out against exploitation, victimisation and harassment of any sort.
“The students should rather be encouraged and the university commended for being on the right path. In greater need of this encouragement are the girls whose educational empowerment is key to their survival in an oppressive and dominant patriarchal culture that yields little or no space for women,” she stated.