By Adedoyin Falolu
A Professor of Mathematics at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof AbdulAkeem Agboola has been accused of frustrating efforts made by the Academic staff Establishment Unit of the institution to investigate him for allegedly falsifying his age.
Reports gathered shows that the Academic staff Establishment Unit’s periodic review discovered that Agboola did not submit his birth certificate, M.sc and Ph.D certificate to the school’s registry.
This therefore prompted the unit to write Agboola in an internal memo, asking him to submit his missing credentials to its building.
2The internal memo dated 13th April, 2021 which was sighted gave Agboola till 16th April, 2021 to submit the documents in question.
However,the Professor who replied the memo in another document described the memo by the school’s establishment unit as “highly embarrassing and worrisome.
Agboola explained in the memo that since he joined the University in 1994, he had participated in at least two staff auditing exercises where originals and photocopies of his certificates were submitted apart from his PhD certificate which he submitted in 2002.
The professor in his reply noted that all other documents were submitted in 1994 and all have since been in his personal file with his department, college and register without any complain from the registry.
The academician however obliged the unit’s request by sending the requested certificates as sighted in a documents.
Agboola in the memo said, ” Your memo added April 13 2021 referenced FUNAAB /R/ASP.467/1/207 on the subject is referred.
“It is highly embarrassing and worrisome for me to be written that I did not submit my birth certificate to the registry. Since I joined the services in 1994, I have participated in at least two staff auditing exercises where my originals credentials were shown to the panels and photocopies submitted. Apart from my PhD certificate which was submitted in 2002, all my other credentials were submitted in 1994 and they have since been inside my personal file in the department, college and register without any complain from the registry.
“I hope someone somewhere is not tempering and playing foul with my personal file in the registry.
“Consequent on your request I hereby resubmitted photocopies of following documents to the registry, birth certificate, M.Sc and PhD certificate”
The Establishment Unit in its response in another internal memorandum dated 26th April, 2021 however said Agboola’s response to its former memo was “incorrect and needless”.
The unit stressed that Agboola submitted a “To whom it may concern letter” as evidence for the completion of his M.sc when he was employed as an assistant lecturer in 1994.
The unit also noted that Agboola never submitted a doctoral certificate and birth certificate.
Agboola was asked to submit any contrary evidence to the claim by the unit.
The Unit noted that after a quick review of the submitted credentials, it discovered a lot of inconsistency in the names on the birth certificate to his doctoral certificate, calling for an explanation from Agboola.
The Unit said it also observed that the name on the birth certificate is not in tandem with 60th birthday celebration the Professor had in public place.
The Professor was however asked to forward explanation for the inconsistency on the name on the credentials submitted to the Establishment Unit’s building not later than April 29, 2021.
The Memo partly read “that the university registry in it’s periodic review, requests for any documents found missing in individual files of staff.
“So, the allegation that your files is being tempered with is not only incorrect,but needless.
“That you submitted a “To whom it may concern letter as evidence for completion of your M.Sc when employed as assistant lecturer in 1994 not a proper certificate.
“There was never a form of submission of any doctoral certificate if you have any contrary evidence kindly submit it.
“There was no evidence of birth certificate submitted
“In any way a quick review of the credentials submitted have shown various inconsistent in the names on them right from your birth certificate, though your doctoral degree certificate.
“Consequently, there is immediate need for you to explain these inconsistency as it cannot be safely said that various names on different certificate belong to the same person
“It also observed that the date on the birth certificate is not in tandem with the 60th birthday celebration you had recently had in public space
“You are expected to forward the explanation for the inconsistencies in the name on your credentials to the academic staff establishment unit not later than Thursday April 29,2021”.
Further revelations shows that the institution has set up an Investigative panel to look into the alleged age falsification by the professor but Prof. Agboola has been frustrating the effort of the panel.
It was gathered that the professor was against some of the people in the panel and has allegedly refused to face the panel since it was set up.
It was learnt that the panel was suppose to sit but he has refused to show up.
When contacted on the allegations leveled against him, Prof Agboola insisted that he was not involved in any age falsification case.
His words ” If you can not reveal your source then keep it to your self, I am not involved in any age falsification case”.