The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, has demoted a former acting director-general of the agency, Chima Igwe for allegedly using a doctorate degree he claimed to have bagged over 18 years ago.
According to a report by PUNCH, Igwe has been told to return to the position of a principal research officer after it was discovered that he completed the PhD in 2020.
Igwe, a first class graduate of Chemistry from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, had finished with a pass during his master’s at the University of Lagos, Akoka.
He subsequently proceeded to the Universite d’Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic, where he claimed to have bagged a doctorate in 2001.
He could however only produce an attestation document signed by his supervisor, Prof. Mansour Moudachirou for the PhD. On the basis of that document, he was promoted from principal research officer to chief research officer, deputy director and director.
However, Punch reports that the attestation document became a subject of controversy in 2019 when the tenure of the former DG, Prof. Gloria Elemo, ended and Igwe was made the acting DG.
An official petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, seeking a probe of Igwe’s PhD.
While the ICPC delayed in releasing its report, Punch investigated and reported that Igwe had not completed the doctoral programme.
According to a source, “The committee looked at the issues exhaustively. During the investigation, Igwe brought a new attestation document that the Universite d’Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic gave him. The committee contacted the Benin university and confirmed that he attended the public defence.
“We discovered that the Benin Ministry of Education issues certificates and not the universities. So, he does not have a certificate yet. However, the attestation indicated the effective date of the degree. It was signed in February 2020, meaning that he finished in February 2020. The implication is that all the achievements he claimed were on wrong grounds.
“So, he is going back to where he belongs. If he graduated in 2020, then it means those who graduated before him are his seniors. That means the principal research officer, which he was before graduating, is where he should revert to. That is the position of the board.”