A senior lecturer and immediate past Head of Department, Electrical Electronics Engineering, Imo State University, Owerri, Dr Michael Anumaka, is in the midst of the storm over alleged certificate forgery.
According to Punch, the lecturer, who was employed in the university in 2012, allegedly claimed to have obtained his first degree in Electrical Electronics Engineering from Clayton University, Missouri, the United States of America in 2003.
The authenticity of his degree could not be verified.
His curriculum vitae obtained by our reporter also indicated that he obtained Advanced Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma, both in Electrical Electronics Engineering, from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
Again, the FUTO management denied issuing him the two certificates. The certificate were issued by FUTO Consult, a body whose courses have not been approved by the university.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the certificate fraud was let open when the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria visited his department for accreditation.
The panel was said to have first discovered that he registered with them without having credit in Mathematics in his O-level.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that COREN wrote Anumaka’s acting head of department, GI Uchegbulem, on their discoveries.
Uchegbulem, in a letter addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, through the Registrar, dated June 14, 2012, asked the management to look into the findings of the professional body.
The letter titled, ‘Re: Verification of MC Anumaka’s Advanced Diploma and PGD certificates issued by FUTO Consult,’ said the discovery made the body enquired about his other certificates.
It read, “It was during the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria accreditation that the panel saw MC Anumaka’s file and noticed that at no time did he have credit in Mathematics. They were worried and queried how he was registered as an engineer by COREN.
“In their interaction with Prof SOE Ogbogu and other lecturers from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, they wanted to know about the Advanced Diploma and the PGD certificate which Anumaka obtained from FUTO.
“It was Prof Ogbogu who informed the team in a heated argument with Anumaka that the management of FUTO had no knowledge of such qualifications. He spoke as the Head of Electrical Engineering Department, FUTO, and a member of the Senate as of the dates the ‘qualifications’ were obtained.
“It was alleged that the programmes in question were neither accredited by NUC nor NBTE, but run by one ‘Dr Oliver Osuagwu’ as a private business under the cover of FUTO Consult. The said Oliver Osuagwu was at no time the Registrar of FUTO and should not have signed as the Registrar of FUTO in the certificates; except there is another FUTO. It is up to you sir to make your deductions and judge.”
On the strength of the discoveries, the Imo State University reportedly suspended the senior lecturer on November 4, 2014, for alleged forgery of the FUTO certificates.
The suspension letter, with ref: IMSU/REG/ACA/PF.0962, titled, ‘Suspension from duty,’ was signed by the varsity acting Registrar, ANcIgbojekwe.
The letter said, “In the course of verifying certificates you submitted to the university, on which basis you were offered employment, it was discovered that the FUTO/CCE Advanced Diploma and PGD certificates were not approved by the Senate of Federal University of Technology, Owerri.
“This is attested by a letter from the Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, referenced, FUT/REG/CR/GEN/118/VOL 35, dated August 20, 2014. The implication of this is that it is not an academic programme of the university (FUTO).
“Consequently, the management directed that you be suspended from office, to enable us to carry out further investigation. You are directed to proceed on indefinite suspension pending further action. Please hand over all university property in your possession to your head of department,” the letter read.
Sunday PUNCH however gathered that the embattled lecturer was reinstated after the former vice-chancellor completed his tenure.
The university, in another letter, with ref: IMUS/REG/ACA/PF.0962, dated October 14, 2015, rescinded the suspension without addressing the reasons for which the embattled lecturer was suspended.
When our correspondent contacted Igbojekwe to ask the rationale behind the decision to reinstate the lecturer, he said he was no longer the registrar and could not answer the question.
The Public Relations Officers of the Imo State University, Dr Ralph Njoku-Obi, said he was aware of the suspension, but not informed about his recall.
“I know that he was suspended during the tenure of Prof UA Awuzie, who was the vice-chancellor. I know he was suspended for a thorough investigation of his certificates. That suspension was duly communicated to my office, but recalling him wasn’t made known to me,” he said.
Also, when contacted on the telephone on the allegations of certificate forgery, Anumaka said he was waiting for his professorship, which according to him, is due by this year.
He described the allegations as baseless and unfounded, adding that those who were spreading “falsehood” were envious of him and did not want him to be a professor.
He said, “All the allegations are a fallacy. As it stands now, I’ve been appraised as a reader since 2019 by the department and faculty, and by that, I was supposed to be an associate professor in 2019. And I have been the HoD of electrical electronics engineering.
“I am the most senior lecturer in my department; others are junior ones…If you’re not qualified, the council cannot employ you and continue to promote you to be an associate professor. This year, I am supposed to be a professor. All those saying this or that are people who are jealous, who cannot work hard. I’m a grounded scholar.”
On the issue of obtaining O’level after his PhD, the embattled lecturer said, “There was a time the National University Commission sent a circular anyone who wanted to remain a lecturer must obtain the Postgraduate Diploma in education.
“Those who were vibrant including me rallied around and then I had to get my O’level that would enable me to obtain the education certificate in 2014. I passed and I have obtained my PGD in education. Right now, I am a certified teacher Class A.”
On his earlier suspension by the university over the FUTO Consult Certificate, he said, “The suspension was in 2014 and we are in 2021. If all these allegations are true, I would have not gotten the senior lecturer position in 2015. I would not have been appraised as an associate professor in 2019, and now I am standing for a professorship. So these things are all fallacy.”
