The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday revealed that the management of the Lagos State University (LASU) has withdrawn the PhD certificates of some of its members which include the branch ASUU LASU chairman, Dr. Adekunle Idris.
ASUU Lagos zonal Coordinator, Dr. Sola Nasir, dropped the bombshell at a press briefing held at the old LASU Sociology Department lecture hall of LASU and flanked by ASUU chairmen from University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Tai Solarin University of Education and the host ASUU-LASU.
The ASUU-LASU, Dr. Adekunle Idris confirmed that the management withdrew his PhD and that of 13 others from different departments claiming errors were made in the wordings.
According to Dr. Nasir, the LASU management in their letters to the affected lecturers said it discovered
some errors in their PhD and asked the holders to return them. He said the union expect them to correct it and produce new ones for Dr. Idris and others.
His words: ‘’The ASUU-LASU chairman, Dr Idris is not alone, there are 14 other lecturers with the Accounting Department having the highest with five. For LASU Senate to have made those errors, it places question mark on the persons that make up the Senate. We can rule that the purpose was to victim some of our members’’.
The ASUU Lagos coordinator called on Governor Babatunde Fashola to set up a visitation panel on LASU and also urged the state government to call the VC to order to give peace a chance.
‘’What we experiencing in LASU is a fall out of the last ASUU-LASU strike. ASUU Lagos zone and national are behind ASUU-LASU. We will fight him (VC) until he is out of the office’’, Dr. Nasir, warned.
Giving details of the PhD withdraw, Dr. Idris, said he concluded his PhD in 2011 and was issued the certificate in 2012 and signed by the current Vice Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa and the former Registrar, Mr. Lateef Animashaun.
‘’I fulfilled all the conditions before being issued the PhD certificate. It is because of the last ASUU strike, it is a backlash. They are withdrawing the certificate, if I were working abroad what will happen? The Senate that took the decision ended there meeting after 8pm without lunch or dinner for the Professors and others.
‘’Accreditation is coming in December in 2014, five of lecturers whose certificates were withdrawn are from a department that will face National Universities Commission (NUC) accreditation team. Th3e issue of certificate withdraw is an act of victimization. There are 14 persons involved, but I know I am the target. In the letter asking me to return the PhD certificate, no time frame was given unlike others’’.
‘’ My PhD is in the Business Admin (Marketing) but they say the error is the marketing but my counsel has written the Governing Council and VC, Prof Obafunwa on the PhD certificate withdraw’’.
Daily Sun gathered that two of those affected in the Accounting Department used same PhD certificates to earn promotion to Associate Professors.
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