Editor
THE Federal University Gusau (FUG) has disassociated itself from a letter allegedly written by its former Registrar, Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, claiming that Professor Bernard Odoh, the recently dismissed Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), was promoted to the rank of Professor by the institution in 2015.
Yakubu A. Anivbassa, the current Registrar and Secretary to the Council of FUG, issued a statement refuting the claims, labeling the documents as fraudulent. He clarified that Odoh was never a tenured staff member of the university and emphasized FUG’s commitment to due process, transparency, and accountability.
In the statement, Anivbassa noted: “Federal University Gusau categorically states that the purported letters of appointment and promotion to Professor, dated 30th April 2015 and 12th November 2015 respectively, and allegedly certified as true copies by Ibrahim Bawa Kaura on 8th November 2024 six years after his disengagement from the university—are fraudulent. These documents lack any official record in the custody of the university.”
He further alleged that Odoh collaborated with the former Vice Chancellor and Registrar to forge the documents, an act described as “administrative fraud.”
The statement also accused the former Registrar, Ibrahim Bawa Kaura, of impersonating the current Registrar and using a counterfeit stamp to certify the disputed documents. This act, according to Anivbassa, occurred years after Kaura had left the university’s service in 2018.
Legal Context
Highlighting the illegitimacy of the certifications, Anivbassa referenced Section 104 of the Evidence Act, 2011, which outlines the legal requirements for certifying public documents. These include:
1. Payment of legal fees.
2. Proper certification indicating the document as a true copy of the original.
3. The date, signature, and official title of the certifying officer.
4. A seal on the document.
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He asserted that the certifications presented by Kaura on Odoh’s behalf failed to meet these criteria and were therefore “null, void, and of no effect.”
The management of FUG unequivocally stated: “Dr. Odoh Bernard Ifeanyi is not and has never been a tenured staff of the Federal University Gusau, let alone being confirmed as a Professor by this institution. Any claims to the contrary are baseless and part of a desperate attempt to bolster Dr. Odoh’s ambition to secure the Vice Chancellorship of UNIZIK through fraudulent means.”
The university’s leadership reaffirmed its commitment to preserving its integrity and distancing itself from the controversy surrounding Odoh’s academic claims.
