Allegations of certificate forgery and its related act have continued to unsettle Federal College of Education Asaba, Delta State as one of the Senior lecturers, Mr. Fedilis Eliche Azubuike was on Monday caught in the web of certificate forgery, DAILY POST is reporting.
Competent sources said the lecturer now at the centre of the certificate scandal, graduated from the Edo State University, Ekpoma where he allegedly made a pass, and was employed as instructor at the college; a place he had remained over the years before the bubble burst.
It was gathered that the instructor turned lecturer, is a native of Asaba who married an Esan woman before he got the job.
Trouble started for him seven years after he was employed at the college, and was not promoted because of his poor result; a situation he allegedly approached a friend at the Edo State university where he earlier claimed to have graduated from to help upgrade his certificate to second class upper.
He was alleged to have offered the sum of N100, 000 to his friend, a Senior Staff of the University who assisted him in upgrading the certificate to a Second Class upper; a certificate he later presented to the Rector of the college, and upgraded to the position of a Senior Lecturer 1.
But insider said that his friend instead of accepting the N100, 000, allegedly demanded for extra N200, 000, or he will expose him, a threat that was said to have led to their disagreement, and counter threats to lives.
A Senior lecturer of the college who did not want his name in print told our reporter that: “The friend who forged the certificate for him after series of threats, secretly wrote to our Rector, in the deal he has with him, this was how he was exposed”.
Investigation revealed that allegations of certificate forgery and its related act had been brewing crisis at the college headed by a seasoned Educationist, and Administrator in the last two years been top discussion among some of the lecturers who allegedly “smelt a pit” some among them were employed with fake certificate, especially some of the old lecturers who claimed they bagged Masters’ Degree abroad.
Confirming the incident to our reporter, the Rector of the college, Dr. Ignatus Ezeaum said: “It is true we have caught one of lecturers with forged certificate, he was employed as instructor because he had a low qualification, and I urged him to go and upgrade it, only for him to resurfaced with second class upper from Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, the man who did it for him wrote to us, and we confronted him, he opened up, we have asked him to take a sack letter, or return to his former position as an instructor”, since the news of a glaring certificate forgery at the college, there has been panic among the lecturers including non-academic staff over the steps reached by the school management for fresh screening of all staff.
A clerical officer at the college who did not want her name in the print said: “so many of our staff came with Toronto certificates, very bogus certificates they cannot defend, that is why there is trouble now”.
In his response to the allegation, the lecturer popular known as Uncle Eliche said, “It is unfortunate that I am now a victim. I have been asked by the school management to resign or step back as an instructor. I was lured into upgrading my certificate and I didn’t know it will backfire. Here I am today. Even though I have entered for a masters degree program at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, it is very unfortunate that I’m now a victim, it is a lesson to others.”
Comments