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Summary
FUOYE’s Governing Council has cleared Vice-Chancellor Abayomi of sexual harassment despite audio evidence of his romantic advances toward Folasade. Rather than addressing the implications of the leaked conversation, the Council condemned Folasade for recording it and ordered her to apologise for “tarnishing” the university’s image. The Council’s response has raised concerns over institutional accountability and how power dynamics within Nigerian universities are managed—especially when women speak out.
Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). Photo source: ThisDayLive
In a recent update, the Governing Council of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has dismissed sexual harassment allegations brought against its Vice-Chancellor (VC), Professor Abayomi Fasina, by a senior staff member, Engineer Folasade Adebayo. Instead of addressing the substance of the allegations, the Council focused on Engineer Folasade’s decision to record their private conversation, accusing her of damaging the university’s reputation and directing her to tender a written apology within seven days.
The Council’s decision followed its 8th Extraordinary Meeting held on Apr. 8, 2025. In a statement signed by the university’s Registrar, Mufutau Ibrahim, the Council stated that after reviewing multiple reports, including one from the Nigeria Police Force, it found no evidence of sexual harassment. Yet, no independent forensic investigation of the audio recordings was conducted.
Engineer Folasade, who previously served as Acting Director of Works and Services, had been at the centre of a controversy since an audio clip leaked to Sahara Reporters. In the recording, VC Abayomi admitted to making romantic advances toward her and expressed anger over the fact that their conversation was shared beyond the two of them.
“There’s nothing wrong in making advances,” Abayomi said in the recording. “You had the option to say no. But the fact that you began to tell people, you’re making a mockery of yourself.”
Rather than probe this abuse of power, the Council insisted that Engineer Folasade never formally submitted a complaint and accused her of attempting to blackmail Abayomi to secure confirmation as substantive Director of Works. “All Council members agreed that the recordings were tools for blackmail,” the statement read, dismissing the confession outright.
VC Abayomi was asked to temporarily recuse himself from the meeting during deliberations, and members reportedly listened to the audio with the help of a translator. Still, the Council insisted that Engineer Folasade’s conduct—not VC Abayomi’s behaviour—was the issue.
The Council further condemned the university management for granting Engineer Folasade a backdated promotion to 2015 and instructed that the promotion be reviewed. It directed management to avoid such “preferential treatment” going forward.
While the Council advised VC Abayomi to exercise more caution in his dealings with subordinates, no disciplinary action was taken. Instead, the institution announced plans to introduce policies on cyberbullying, social media usage, and internal communications.
In the leaked audio, VC Abayomi attempted to justify his actions and shifted the blame onto Folasade. “Even if I made romantic advances toward you, I apologise for it,” he said. “I blocked you, but I was forced to call you today… If someone offends me, I apply the same passion to dislike that person.”
Despite Engineer Folasade’s attempts to respond during the conversation, Abayomi repeatedly cut her off. “Let me say something,” she pleaded. “I don’t need to convince you; the truth needs to be told.”
A recent research revealed a 26% prevalence of workplace sexual violence, with the highest happening in Africa. A recent occurrence of sexual harassment in Nigeria was reported by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against the senate president, Godswill Akpabio. Like Engineer Folashade, Senator Natasha faced intense backlash after submitting a petition of sexual harassment against Akpabio, including suspension from office upon condition that she apologise.
Civil organisations in Nigeria such as Baobab for Women’s Human Rights continue to call for interventions into sexual harassment
