The Lagos State House of Assembly has announced its intention to summon the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Tolani Akibu, the Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, as well as other high-ranking staff from the institution.
According to The PUNCH, this action is in response to recent allegations of extortion and certificate fraud reported by an online news platform on Monday.
The news report exposed a certificate racketeering syndicate offering genuine Lagos State University certificates for sale, with prices ranging from N2 million to N3 million, depending on the complexity of the course in question.
In a statement made available by Media Assistant to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Eromosele Ebhomele, the Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, noted that the source of the story could be suspicious and not trustworthy, saying, “because of its tendency to blackmail, agreed that the concerned officials of the institution be invited so that facts about the allegation could be unearthed for the sake of the reputation of the school.”
Obasa, an alumnus of the institution, said, “I agree that the committee should invite those to be invited to establish facts about the allegation, but we must not because of that destroy our institution’s reputation.”
The Speaker emphasized that if anyone is found guilty, appropriate sanctions will be applied.
Mr. Owolabi Ajani, who raised the motion as a matter of urgent public importance, informed his fellow legislators about the necessity of inviting the commissioner, the Vice-Chancellor, and other individuals to enable the House to uncover the truth regarding the allegations.
Ajani noted that LASU had maintained a high level of integrity over the years, saying that this must be sustained.
“While Honourable Sa’ad Olumoh urged that the investigation should involve people in the Information and Communication Technology unit of the institution, Honourable Desmond Elliot and his colleague, Ladi Ajomale, who said they attended LASU, supported that the allegation be investigated,” the statement added
