#SexForGrades: Dr Boniface Igbeneghu Alleges BBC Set Him Up

A few days ago, October 7, BBC Africa Eye released a documentary that shook many as it brought to light the burning issue of sex for grades in West African Universities.

The documentary titled “Sex For Grades” focused on two prominent universities, University of Lagos (Nigeria) and the University of Ghana where some undercover journalists posing as students secretly filmed their interactions with some lecturers that have sexual harassment allegations trailing them.

Dr Boniface Igbeneghu, a former sub-dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Lagos was one of those caught in the scandal. He is also a pastor of a local church, Foursquare Gospel Church.

He was caught on tape making sexual advances at an undercover journalist posing as a 17-year-old secondary school graduate seeking admission into the Department of European Languages and Integrated Studies where Igbeneghu lectures.

Following the release of the tape that was met with tons of mixed reaction and a call for the suspension and probe of the indicted lecturers, Igbeneghu has taken to his Facebook page to deny the allegations of any wrongdoing.

In a Facebook post on his page, he alleged that the BBC set out to set him up as he is innocent and his God is bigger than them.

He wrote:

“#BBC or whatever they call themselves set me up. My God is bigger than them.

#SexForGrades

#IAmInnocent”

In an earlier Facebook post he made on October 7, he shared a photo of himself and his wife with the caption that nothing can set them apart. Sharing the photo of the two of them together, he wrote:

“No one can set us apart. Not even #BBC”

Shortly after the release of the footage by BBC, the Foursquare Gospel Church issued a swift denunciation thereafter, asking Igbeneghu, said to be one of its pastors, to “step down from all ministerial assignments.”

Similarly, UNILAG in a statement by Principal Assistant Registrar (Communication Unit) Mrs Taiwo Oloyede said the management had suspended Igbeneghu.

The issue of sexual harassment of students by lecturers has been one that has been going on for a long time as veteran Nigerian entertainer, Eedris Abdulkareem already addressed the issue some seventeen years ago in his song, ‘Mr Lecturer’.

The song addresses the problems faced by a female student who is being asked for sexual favours for grades by her lecturer as he threatens to fail her should she fail to bend to his advances.