The Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. John Obafunwa, has explained why the Senate of the university resolved to withdraw some doctoral certificates awarded by the institution.
The Vice Chancellor who spoke at the weekend dismissed allegations that he was seeking to arbitrarily withdraw the doctoral certificates, saying the Senate, which is the institution’s highest decision-making organ, spent three hours debating the planned withdrawal of 19 doctoral certificates it erroneously awarded.
Obafunwa spoke at a session with journalists in his office.
He said the Senate was able “to categorise everything into about three groups. About eight of them virtually have no problems. But the senate decided that it will like to see their certificates of conversion and what they were admitted for in the first instance.
“The senate considers the second group to have mild problems. But the third group has very serious problems. By the way, the senate looked at the document presented and discovered that it gave approval for three postgraduate programmes in the Department of Business Administration in 2004/ in 2005 session.
“The senate only approved M.Phil./Ph.D. Business Administration, M.Phil. / Ph.D. Management, M.Phil. / Ph.D. International Business. We have people being given Ph.D. Business Administration (Management). Does this mean double honours? We have those who have Ph.D. Business Administration (International Business).”
“The Senate asked them to bring the letters offering them admission into these programmes. It asked them to bring the documents showing how they transited from M.Phil. to Ph.D. status. It asked them to bring their thesis for the programmes. Because in the thesis, the title of the thesis and the degree awarded would written there.
“If it is Ph.D. Business Administration, you will get it. If it is PhD Management, you will get it. If is Ph.D. International Business, you will get it. Let us do things right. The senate decided that it is not going to happen,” the vice-chancellor explained.
But Obafunwa mentioned the case of those who were awarded PhD Business Administration (Marketing), pointing out that the university “does not have a programme approved for marketing. There was nothing like Ph.D. programme in Marketing approved by the senate. So what you do not have, you cannot give.
“So, the senate decided that we have to withdraw all the certificates. Those that are cleared will get their new certificates. Areas of double honours will be streamlined. Those that do not exist at all will be withdrawn completely. Let people do what they need to do to earn their degrees. So, it was not a case of victimisation of any particular group.”
Obafunwa, who chairs the Senate comprising all professors, deans of faculties, heads of departments and directors in all units, said about N13 million was spent monthly as the running cost when he took up the mantle of leadership of the institution.
