Chizitere Obioha, a 16-year-old student, has accused an invigilator of sexual harassment during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), sparking a formal petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions. Chizitere alleges that Mutiu Olayemi, the invigilator, requested her phone number during the exam and subsequently withheld her results when she declined.
Chizitere’s father, Onyebuchi Obioha, has taken the matter to the Senate, demanding intervention after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) cited allegations of examination malpractice as the reason for withholding her results. Presenting the case in the Senate, Senator Neda Imasuen described how the invigilator attempted to befriend Chizitere during the examination, with her refusal leading to punitive measures against her.
According to the petition, Chizitere sat for the UTME at Wisdom House CBT Centre in Ogba, Lagos, on April 22. Upon receiving her results, her father discovered they were withheld due to claims of malpractice, which he contests. He asserts that Chizitere’s result was retaliatory punishment for rebuffing Olayemi’s advances. He recounted that after the exam, the invigilator handed Chizitere a note with his phone number, urging her to contact him.
In his words, Mr. Obioha stated, “I want to bring to your notice a suspicion that we have relating to this case. We are very certain that our daughter is being punished for a crime she did not commit.” He detailed that after the examination, Chizitere returned to him with a note from Olayemi, which prompted him to call the invigilator and demand that he cease any communication with her.
Mr. Obioha’s wife also reached out to Olayemi, who allegedly denied giving his number and abruptly ended the call. Mr. Obioha later sent a WhatsApp message to Olayemi asking for an apology, to which he received no response.
In response to the allegations, Olayemi denied any wrongdoing in a telephone interview, asserting, “I didn’t ‘toast’ anybody during the examination or give my phone number to any candidate.” He confirmed his role as an invigilator but maintained that the report of examination malpractice against Chizitere was authored by the Resident Monitor, not himself.
As this case unfolds, it raises significant concerns about the safety of students during examinations and the responsibilities of invigilators. The Senate’s involvement may be pivotal in addressing both the allegations against Olayemi and the broader implications for examination conduct and student protection.
