The fate of the embattled former Head of Department, Electrical Electronics Engineering, Imo State University, Dr Michael Anumaka, hangs in the balance as the Governing Council of the institution is billed to meet from February 12 to 14, 2022, The PUNCH learnt on Sunday.
The Imo State Government, in its White Paper on the Visitation Panel Report: 2012-2019, had directed the Governing Council of the university to dismiss the lecturer for certificate forgery.
A member of the council, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the Governing Council would be meeting from February 12 to 14, 2022 to discuss the White Paper and other issues affecting the institution and might approve Anumaka’s dismissal.
Sunday PUNCH had exclusively reported on August 8, 2021 that Anumaka got his ‘O’ Level credit in Mathematics in 2014 through the General Certificate Examination conducted by the West African Examination Council, the same year he got his PhD.
A government visitation panel on the university, after reviewing his certificates and method of employment into the service of the institution, had in its report, which our correspondent obtained, stated on page 77 paragraph 10.18 (i-v)) that:
“You, Dr Michael Anumaka, obtained credit ‘O’ level Mathematics in 2014 after your M. Eng. and PhD degrees in 2007 and 2014, respectively as no person studies engineering courses without credit level passes in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.
“You obtained a BSc. in Engineering from Clayton University (USA) by correspondence, but the university does not offer any engineering programme, besides no engineering course is offered by correspondence.
“The NYSC denied you enlistment for possessing qualifications in unaccredited programmes from Clayton and FUTO. You do not possess an exemption certificate from the NYSC.
“You did a Masters’ degree without a first degree or Higher National Diploma supported with a postgraduate diploma. It is illegal to be employed or assume appointment without the NYSC discharge certificate or exemption thereof.
“The panel is of the view that the appointment of Dr Anumaka should be terminated. He should not be allowed to continue teaching university students.”
Sequel to the findings of the panel, the state government in its White Paper stated that Anumaka was not fit and qualified to be a lecturer in the first place.
The White Paper stated, “The government expressed displeasure on the Governing Council for employing an unqualified person as a lecturer.
“Government directs the Governing Council to dismiss Dr Anumaka from the services of the university.”
The White Paper was titled, ‘Imo State of Nigeria, Government White paper on the report of the visitation panel on Imo state University (2012-2019), office of the Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Executive Governor’s office, Government House, Owerri’, and dated July 28, 2020.
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The visitation panel, according to the White Paper’s introduction, was set via a letter with reference SGI/S.0011/T.R/X of November 12, 2019, and had 13 members.
The panel had Prof Chinedu O. Nebo and Ambrose C. Duru as the chairman and secretary, respectively.
The university has yet to implement the recommendations in the White Paper nearly two years after the government directive.
However, the university in a memo with reference: IMSU/REG/270/ titled, ‘Re: Deficiencies of Engr. Dr. Michael C. Anumaka, a lecturer in the EEE Department, IMSU, Owerri, for your study and consideration,” which our correspondent obtained on Sunday, said the decision to suspend action on the White Paper followed a letter from the state government for the review of the visitation panel’s report following an appeal letter from the embattled lecturer for the review.
The memo dated October 27, 2021, signed by the acting Registrar and Secretary of the Council, Dr Julius Osuagwu, was copied to Chancellor; acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor; acting Bursar; University Librarian; Dean, Faculty of Engineering; HoD, E/E Engineering; DR (Establishment) and DR (Council).
The memo addressed to Anumaka read in part, “…arising from your appeal to the government, ref ANUM/GOC/02/001 of 15 July, 2021, the state government in a letter to the university Governing Council, ref GH/PL/S.164/1/K dated August 2, 2021, directed the Council to look into your appeal and urgently make available to the executive governor their findings on the matter.
“In view of the directive, action is hereby stayed on your matter pending the outcome of His Excellency’s directive to Council.”
However, a source told our correspondent that the implementation of the White Paper was delayed because the Governing Council had yet to sit since Governor Hope Uzodimma came into power.
The source stated, “I am very optimistic that this time around, if the sitting isn’t scuttled by the end of February 14, we will know where we are. I can assure you that if the council eventually meets, it will definitely take a stand on this matter.
“For your information, the latest on the issue of his appraisal now is that the Dean, Faculty of Engineering, has written a letter to the Registrar that the five persons that were appointed to appraise him all declined. So, he wrote to the VC, who asked the head of the department to appoint some other people, which he did. We are just watching and there is a likelihood that the new appointees will decline to appraise him also.”
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