Ebonyi demotes lecturers with fake doctorate, masters degrees

Some of the lecturers obtained their degrees from fake study centres of an American university.

The Ebonyi State Government has demoted 15 lecturers from its College of Education for possessing forged Doctorate and Masters Certificates.

The lecturers were suspended in March, while the matter was being investigated.

An internal memo obtained by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the lecturers claimed to have obtained their dubious degrees from local study centres of two American Universities: Montclair State University’s African Institute Global Critical Creative and Caring Community of Inquiry (AICCOCCOI), Enugu, and Pacific West University’s Macbes Global Studies Center, Owerri.

“The centres are illegal and any certificate obtained from any of the campuses of the institutions or any study centre in Nigeria is not recognised by the Federal Government of Nigeria for purpose of employment or further studies,” the memo read.

PREMIUM TIMES investigations showed that Pacific West University does not exist anywhere in the United States although the lecturers’ certificates claimed that the school was based in Denver, Colorado. As for Montclair State University, the school does exist.

However, an official of the university who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES over the phone said, “I don’t believe we have any study centre in Nigeria”.

He directed PREMIUM TIMES to the university’s website, saying that if the study centre did not show up there that meant that it did not exist. Our search did not produce the AICCOCCOI on the Montclair State University’s website.

One of the lecturers with the fake Ph.Ds, Fidelis Ogbaga, has a Senior Secondary Certificate with three credit passes and an ordinary pass (P7); he failed Mathematics and English Language. Mr. Ogbaga was demoted from Senior Lecturer to Assistant Clerical Officer II.

The other assumed Ph.D. holders were Cletus Akpagu, Fidelis Nwoke, Joseph Nweke, Paulinus Ojiuzor, Nwanekwe Valentine, Nwigwe Elias, and Nwebonyi Raymond. They were stripped of their fake Doctorates and told to stop parading themselves as “Doctors”.

They were also demoted from Senior Lecturers to Lecturer III and will not be eligible for promotion for three years.

The lecturers with fake Masters degrees were Catherine Onuoha (demoted from Lecturer I to Lecturer III), Joseph Nwigwe (demoted from Lecturer I to Lecturer III), Bernard Ike (demoted from Lecturer I to Lecturer III), Martin Ndaba (demoted from Lecturer I to Lecturer III), Sylvester Awan (demoted from Lecturer III), Sunday Oboke (demoted from Lecturer II) and Chima Okporie (demoted from Lecturer II to Assistant Lecturer).

The demotions took effect on June 11.