Senate approves ex-FUOYE VC as ambassador amid harassment claims

The Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointment of Abayomi Fasina, the former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), as a non-career ambassador.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the confirmation after the lawmakers approved the nominee by a voice vote during the Committee of the Whole.

Mr Fasina, a professor, had previously been screened by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, led by Niger North Senator Sani Bello, following the Senate’s guidelines.

However, some Nigerians, especially civil society organisations (CSOs), called for the withdrawal of his nomination due to sexual harassment allegations against him.

On July 7, a group of CSOs protested outside the National Assembly, asking for the suspension of the screening and confirmation of the former vice-chancellor’s nomination as an ambassador.

The coalition based its request on claims of sexual harassment, human rights violations, and victimisation against Mr Fasina, which are currently in court in Lagos and Abuja.

The protesters urged the Senate to let the courts address these cases before moving forward with his confirmation.

The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) also reported that Mr Fasina allegedly harassed a former colleague at the university, Folasade Adebayo, who is an engineer and was a deputy director there. He reportedly pressured her to accept his sexual advances.

FIJ also mentioned that the university’s Governing Council instructed Mr Fasina to apologise to the complainant.

But during the plenary on Thursday, Plateau South Senator Simon Lalong, who presented the committee’s screening report, said both the lawmakers and the university’s governing council investigated the allegations and found them untrue.

“The accusation against Professor Fasina was investigated by competent authorities, including the university governing council and the Nigerian Police, and they both found the allegations to be false.

“The nominee was cleared by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police,” he stated.

Mr Lalong informed his colleagues that no court judgment or proof showed that the nominee committed the alleged offence when he appeared before the committee.

He then recommended Mr Fasina’s confirmation, stating that the committee found the allegations against him to be baseless.

Some senators opposed the confirmation, saying the Senate should carry out more investigations into the claims.

Ekiti North Senator Cyril Fasuyi told his colleagues that the complainant had approached him and asked the Senate to pause the nomination until a fresh investigation.

“The woman approached and told me everything that happened, but this woman did not get judgment. There is nobody in Ekiti North that is not aware of this matter. If this man is cleared, I don’t think people in Ekiti, where he served as vice-chancellor, will be happy about it. This is a common issue in the entire Ekiti North and I am sure all over the country.

“It is a very sensitive issue that we cannot just ignore. If this Senate will allow it, we can contact the woman and let the committee on rules and business investigate this case. That woman did not get justice,” he said.

Edo North Senator Adams Oshiomhole also asked his colleagues to delay the confirmation until a court judgment on the allegations.

“And I think the general feeling is that nobody is saying he is guilty, he deserves to be innocent until proven guilty. But, as a matter of sensitivity, a man who faces such allegations, for the Senate to endorse him, would show insensitivity to the feelings of women, because not just one woman, there are two women, with different allegations.

“So I thought that in matters like this, it is better to wait and ask the man to clear himself before the courts,” he said.

Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno defended the committee’s report, arguing that no one can be treated as guilty without proof of wrongdoing.

Mr Monguno, who represents Borno North Senatorial District, also referenced Order 52(5) of the Senate Standing Rules on sub judice matters, warning senators against discussing issues already before the courts.

“A man is presumed innocent until the contrary is proved. We cannot stop our constitutional duties just because of allegations,” Mr Monguno said.

Bauchi Central Senator Abdul Ningi urged lawmakers to stick to the committee’s findings and recommendations.

“The Senate rules and the constitution allow the committee to check your mental ability, your educational qualifications, and whether or not you’ve been convicted. These are the areas the committee focuses on. The committee is not allowed to ask how many wives you have, if you have been divorced, or how many girlfriends you have. This is not within the committee’s scope.

“So if there are claims outside this scope, then it is not the job of a parliamentarian to raise this issue for discussion because this is a very sensitive matter, and I think members should be careful to ensure that these matters do not come here again. We should go ahead and adopt the committee's report. Anyone else with concerns can go to court,” he said.

In his response, Mr Akpabio noted that the petitioner did not provide evidence before the committee, which did not find the nominee guilty.

“I am glad that you (Senator Fasuyi) know the woman, and I am also glad that she told you everything. The question is, where did she tell you this? We have a committee in the Senate and we tasked the committee to investigate the nominee, and if fit, recommend him for clearance, and the committee has done its work.

“And not only did the committee do its work, the woman in question…we are not the panel investigating. There was nothing before the committee and she did not come before the committee. So, for me, I have a report in front of me, which is conclusive. The report says the man is very articulate, overqualified, and should be cleared by the Senate,” he said.

Mr Akpabio also asked why Mr Fasuyi did not ask the complainant to appear before the committee during the screening process.

“So, you cannot ruin someone’s career, a respected professor, just because of an allegation that has not been proven. And then Senator Cyril, you signed this report, that this man is very articulate, and this man is wonderful. Then you said that you spoke with a woman. So why didn’t you tell the woman to come to the committee?” he asked.

Mr Fasuyi then withdrew his objection, stating that no senator from Lagos State had opposed the nomination and that the nominee is from the state.

“There is no senator from Lagos that is objecting to his nomination. I therefore withdraw my submission,” the senator noted.

After the withdrawal, Mr Akpabio directed the Senate to move into the Committee of the Whole to consider the report.

The lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the committee’s recommendation, and Mr Akpabio then announced Mr Fasina’s confirmation as a non-career ambassador.

With this confirmation, Mr Fasina is expected to receive a diplomatic posting from the Presidency in the coming weeks.