2 fake professors apprehended

Prof. Julius Okogie

Prof. Julius Okogie, Executive Secretary, NUC

Prof. Julius Okogie, Executive Secretary, NUC
Prof. Julius Okogie, Executive Secretary, NUC

Prof. Julius Okogie, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), said on Tuesday that the two fake professors apprehended by the commission, would soon be prosecuted.

Okojie, who made this known at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, said that the fake professors had been handed over to the Police.

He recalled that the fake professors were apprehended when they were invited for interaction as a precondition to issuing licence for a proposed Nigeria-British University, Lagos.

“They were invited to ascertain their level of commitment to decide whether or not to issue application forms to them with respect to the proposed university.

“This is part of the process leading to the award of licence to operate a private university.

“During the course of the interaction, NUC sought to know how the leader of the team became a professor and he gave conflicting accounts.

“In one account, he claimed to have obtained his professorship from the Obong University, Ntak, Akwa Ibom State, and studied at the University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, up to PhD level.

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“In another version, he claimed to have studied at the University of Ewe, Ghana; on a third account, he claimed to be a staff of Covenant University on Sabbatical Leave at Obong University,” Okogie said.

The NUC boss said further enquiries from both universities revealed that the claims were false.

Okojie decried the indiscriminate use of academic titles by unqualified individuals, stressing that academic titles were not mere appellations.

He stressed that academic titles must accorded due respect and strict differentiation be made between PhD and honorary Doctorate Degrees.

Okogie also disclosed that lots of illegal universities had been raided and that cases against the illegal operators were pending in court.

Mr Chuks Ukwuatu, who responded on behalf of the newsmen, appealed to NUC to organise capacity building workshop for journalists to enhance their skills.

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