Age falsification: Civil society, AOCOED Registrar trade words over allegation.

@VONNEWS

Copied From Gabriel Dike

The Independent Civil Society of Nigeria has allegedly accused the Registrar, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) Oto, Ijanikin, Mr. Shehu Muhideen of age falsification.


In a petition signed by Mr. Kayode Yusuf, addressed to AOCOED Provost, Prof.  Bidemi-Lafiaji Okuneye and it was also copied the Special Adviser on Education to the Governor as well as principal officers of the college.

The group wondered why Muhideen was not suspended while investigations into allegations against him were ongoing as stipulated by Public Service Rules.  The civil society alleged that registrar used the opportunity of remaining in office to tamper with this record.

It also expected the state government to have directed the registrar to vacate his office to allow for thorough investigations, noting ‘’It is on record that his predecessor, Mr. Olunuyiwa Coker was asked to vacate office to allow for thorough investigation.”

They alleged that the registrar tampered with his personal file at the personal office, through a Deputy Registrar, stating “this is a crime punishable under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

According to the group, staff unions of AOCOED did not expose the wrong doings in the college because they were are not active as expected and compared to other institutions.”

In the petition, the group attached Muhideen application for the post of deputy registrar dated September 2004 in which he put his age at 38 years old.

The civil society attached a sworn affidavit by the registrar dated July 29th, 2004.  In the court document, he put his date of birth as August 23rd, 1968.

The group also attached AOCOED vacancy advert for the post of Registrar dated September 2016, which specified that applicant must be between 50 and 55 years of age as at October 2, 2016.

In another document, the civil society pointed out another different date of birthday of August 29, 1965, which was captured in AOCOED nominal roll dated March 2020.

The group said the Revised Conditions Service for Colleges of Education dated 2015, contained sanctions for act of misconduct against a staff and had expected the registrar to have been suspended from duty.

It states: “Whenever in the opinion of the provost, a prima facie case of misconduct has been made against an employee and it is necessary to investigate the matter further with a view to determining the guilt or the appropriate disciplinary action, the employee may be suspended pending the determination of the case.”

Registrar’s defense 

Reacting to the allegation, Muhideen told The Education Report that “I have never for one day falsified my age.  I applied for jobs in tertiary institutions in Lagos State and the date of birth I used is same, August 29th, 1965.

Muhideen disclosed that he has been a staff of AOCOED since 2004 and did not write application. He said he was the only applicant for the post of registrar in 2016 forcing the Governing Council to extend the date by two weeks.

“Between 2004 and 2016, nobody brought up the issue until 2020 when the staff unions alleged falsification of age, maladministration, embezzlement of funds.  Some years back, we were having interface and let a world about reducing my age because I had wanted to use to enrol into the National Guard and was encouraged by friends to do affidavit.”

The registrar revealed that when the unions came up with the issue, they asked them to produce evidence to back their claim but they couldn’t

His words “I never wrote any application


The application and affidavit attached to the civil society petition is fake.  I don’t know where they got the two documents.  Even the college panel also asked the unions to proof their allegation, they couldn’t.

“The funny thing is that nobody raised this allegations when I contested the post in 2014 with Mr.  Olumuyiwa Coker and I did so with the same date of birth, 1965.  They can check from all the places I applied for job since I graduated.”

Provost clears the air

AOCOED Provost, Prof. Lafiaji- Okuneye told The Education Report that the registrar was assaulted by the unions on March 19 two months after she assumed office; they drove him and bursar out of the campus and sealed their offices.

She said the registrar as secretary to council implemented the governing council decision to sack and sanction some union leaders. I took their case to the special adviser for pardon and one of the union leaders was reinstated.

After the assault, she said the SAE asked her to a head a panel to investigate the assault, “on the merit of the case, we found them guilty. They physical assaulted the registrar, even if the registrar falsified his age, they are not the one to handle the issue.”

“So the issue of falsification of age came up before the panel, I told them it was not part of our terms of reference but it can be part of other findings. We brought out his confidential files, we didn’t find any evidence.

“We asked the unions to bring any evidence and they said the evidence they have is that the registrar confirmed at the floor of council that he falsified his age and they recorded him without his knowledge.  The registrar said he wanted to enlist into National Guard and had to reduce his age and he didn’t even present this to the college.

“Let them bring the evidence against the registrar. The State House of Assembly also asked them to bring evidence.  We didn’t receive any petition on this issue from any civil society.”