AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
The managements of University of Ibadan, The Redeemers University, Ede; and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi have denied the allegation that there are fake professors in the instructions.
Reports indicting the institutions and other universities in the country as having fake professors among their workforce have since been generating heated controversies.
This came as the National Universities Commission reportedly uncovered about 100 fake professors in some of the nation’s universities.
The Channels TV online was said to have published a story on the presence of fake professors in some Nigerian universities in December 2019. The report has since resurfaced online.
In the report, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, was alleged to have opened the can of worms at the annual retreats of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities between October 28 and November 5, 2019 at the NUC Headquarters in Abuja.
Rasheed was quoted as saying that the details about the fake professors were posted on the NUC website.
However, a statement signed by G.O. Saliu, Registrar and Secretary to Council and Senate, UI, denied the allegation against the institution.
Saliu was quoted in the statement as saying that “The management of the University of Ibadan read with dismay the baseless story making the rounds that some fake professors were identified in the University.
“The management categorically states that none of the listed Professors have ever been listed as staff of the University.
“Bi-ennially, the University of Ibadan publishes its calendar wherein all the names of bona-fide academic staff are listed. These names are not on the calendar.
“Members of the public are enjoined to disregard such stories as the University of Ibadan would never jeopardise the integrity of its academic programmes by parading fake professors.”
Recall that a recent report unearth a certificate racketeering syndicate in neighbouring Benin Republic and Togo specializing in selling university degrees to Nigerians.
An undercover journalist, Umar Audu, had detailed how he got a degree from a university in Benin Republic under two months and was mobilized for the National Youth Service Corps.
Audu stated that he engaged the syndicate that specialises in selling degree certificates in December 2022 and graduated in February 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication certificate from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Consequent upon this, the Federal Government suspended the accreditation of certificates from Togo and Republic of Benin.
A former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, wrote on his verified Facebook page on Saturday that if there were fake professors, there must be fake lecturers and indeed fake students in the system.
Olayinka asked NUC to publish the details about the fake persons, saying, “The report is dated December 2019. If indeed such a huge number of fake professors were discovered within the Nigerian university system, four years should have been more than sufficient a time for the NUC to invite the relevant security agencies to investigate the matter and the report made public.
“If there are fake professors, there must be fake lecturers and indeed fake students in the system as well. He who alleges must prove. The NUC should go a step further and publish the details of those fake individuals who must be polluting the system.
“Anyhow, I speak for myself. The report is dated December 2019 by which time I was still the VC. I had a copy of the names and biodata of all our staff on my laptop.
“There was just no way the list could have been infiltrated. Relatedly, we regularly conduct staff audit, with the latest carried out in 2023 at the instance of the Federal Government. No ghost workers were found here. So, to talk of fake professors in UI is a joke taken too far.”
Dr. Noel Abiodun Saliu, Deputy Executive Secretary, Academic Directorate, NUC, explained that such information should be taken as mischievous and unfounded.
The Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State, also refuted the claim that the management employed fake professors.
Adetunji Adeleye, Deputy Director of the Corporate Affairs Directorate at the university, clarified that the institution completely disavowed and disclaimed the “malicious publication.”
Adeleye said that the individuals labelled as fake professors at Redeemer’s University have never been affiliated with the institution in any capacity.
Also, the management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi refuted allegation that seven of its staff are on the list of 100 fake professors stressing that none of the seven names mentioned in the report are staff of the university.
“While the authenticity of this story itself remain in great doubt, the management of ATBU wishes to categorically state that none of the mentioned professors is a staff of the University, nor have interacted with the university at any given time in whatever capacity.
“In view of the above, all our esteemed stakeholders are hereby advised to disregard this blatant untruth as it is a mere fiction and an imaginary act; a possible attempt to smear the hard earned reputation of our University,” it read.
In the same vein, the management of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti denied the list of fake professors credited to the iniversity.
In a release issued on Saturday signed by the Head, Directorate of Information and Corporate Affairs, Bode Olofinmuagun and titled, ‘List of fake professors not known to EKSU,’ the institution debunked the existence of fake professors.
“The attention of the Management of Ekiti State University, Ado – Ekiti has been drawn to a list of 15 fake Professors which purportedly emanated from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and associated with Ekiti State University, Ado – Ekiti.
“The EKSU Management wishes to make it abundantly clear that the list being circulated and credited to Ekiti State University did not emanate from the university.
“Moreover, none of the names that appeared there is known to the university as none of them has ever worked in the university.
“In spite of the NUC’s clarification on the matter, it is equally important for Ekiti State University to outrightly condemn, denounce and dissociate itself from the evil publication which could have negative impacts on the image of our esteemed university,” the statement read.
