The vice chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU), Olanrewaju Fagbohun, is attempting to gag the staff of the institution from discussing the age falsification scandal of the Peter Okebukola, a former executive secretary of the National University Commission.
He described the scandal as a “mix-up” and said the university was “looking into the matter.”
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation published last Saturday, revealed that Mr Okebukola, a professor of Science Education at LASU, has three different birth dates – February 17, 1949; February 17, 1948; or February 17, 1951- in the record of the university, which he has used to stay in service beyond his mandatory retirement date.
Documents obtained by this newspaper also implicated Mr Fagbohun, who was a protégé of Mr Okebukola, in the age falsification scandal.
Our investigations revealed that the vice chancellor prevented the university’s Academic Staff Establishment division, from taking steps that would have ensured that the former NUC boss was retired in 2016 by withholding the personal file of Mr Okebukola.
‘Gagging’
PREMIUM TIMES has obtained a statement posted by the university’s spokesperson, Ademola Adekola in staff WhatsApp group named: LASU INFO GROUP C, asking staff members not to discuss the revelation in order not to “put the university in poor light in public.”
The group was created by Mr Adekoya, who heads the university’s Information. Mr Adekoya and Jerry Ogbe are two of the four admininstrators of the group.
The message which was posted at 6:36 am on Monday reads:
“Respected Colleagues, good morning. The attention of the Vice Chancellor has been called to a release published in the online edition of the Premium Times concerning mixup in dates on certain documents relating to Distinguished Professor Peter Okebukola. The university authorities have begun a look into the matter and will certainly give a full response. May I therefore implore all staff to kindly desist from remarks that may put our university in poor light in public. I thank you and wish you all a great week ahead – Prof Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN,
Vice Chancellor.”
A source, who asked not to be named for fear of being victimised by the university vice chancellor, said PREMIUM TIMES’ original report has gone viral among the university staff and the revelations had rattled the university management, “which is now doing everything to keep it under wraps”.
