By Safiu Kehinde
Amidst outrage over a list of professors considered to be fake in Nigerian universities, many institutions are coming forward to deny knowledge of such professors in their midst.
NPO Reports a viral report of a list of 100 fake professors allegedly discovered by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Registrar of the University of Ibadan, G O Saliu, in a statement debunking the list, said, “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.
“The Ekiti state university, in its reactionin a press 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.
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.
The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, in its reaction the inclusion of the university is an attempt to tarnish its image.
Zailani Bappah, the University’s Director of Information and Public Relations, issued a press release on Saturday, denouncing the story as pure fiction and a potential effort to besmirch the University’s esteemed standing.
The release said that the story alleged that seven among the alleged 100 fake professors were staff members of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
However, ATBU firmly stated that none of these named individuals has ever been associated with the university or held any interaction with it in any capacity.
The statement read in part, “The attention of the management is drawn to a certain story going the rounds on social media and some online media attributing to the National Universities Commission (NUC) that it has uncovered about 100 fake Professors in some Nigerian Universities.
“While the authenticity of this story itself remains 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.
However, the National Universities Commission (NUC), has denounced the list of fake professors being circulated in the social media.
The viral list attribute to a Lagos based electronic media claimed there were 100 fake professors in Nigerian universities. Curiously, the report dated 2019 has been circulating online for days now.
The NUC said the list is untrue and could not have emanated from the apex regulatory educational body without due consultation with their accredited universities.According to Dr. Noel Abiodun Saliu, Deputy Executive Secretary in Charge of its Academic Directorate, such information should be taken as mischievous and unfounded; and could not have emanated from National Universities Commission.
He asserted that such publication should be taken as the handiwork of mischief makers who are out to destroy the hard earned reputation of those prestigious institutions whose names were mentioned and also to undermine the work of the apex regulatory educational agency.