Adeolu Akintoye (not real name), a former student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, has narrated how the institution has failed to issue his certificate 16 years after his graduation.

Akintoye completed his degree in 2007 in the department of Educational Foundations and Management (EFM). However, he never received his certificate, despite numerous requests for it. 

Speaking with FIJ, he explained that upon completing his degree, he discovered that some of his scripts were missing, resulting in some of his courses not being awarded grades. 

“Upon the collection of my result, I discovered that some of my courses were not awarded scores owing to missing scripts. I made several efforts to find those scores but to no avail,” Akintoye said. 

After several unsuccessful tries to get his certificate, Akintoye had to reinstate his studentship in the Arts and Social Sciences Education (ASSED) department of the institution’s Centre for Continuing Education, in 2015.

“I was left with no option but to reinstate my studentship in order to resit those courses in the 2015/2016 session. Since then my department has not processed my result for collection,” Akintoye said.

“I have sat for the courses and the scores are with my Head of Department. They have all my scores now. I wouldn’t know why they are yet to process my result for collection.”

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FIJ learnt that Ayodeji Ifegbesan was the Head of Department (HOD) at ASSED when the reinstatement happened. Akintoye made many attempts to reach Ifegbesan and other departmental staff at that time to process his results for collection, but he encountered administrative roadblocks and was hardly given a hearing until Ifegbesan left the position.

Akintoye, however, noted that Oluwayomi Oladunjoye, the present HOD at ASSED, has so far made efforts to help since he assumed office some years back.

He further told FIJ that nothing had been done despite the letters that were sent to the school management. 

“All they keep telling me is that my case is receiving attention, that I should exercise patience.”

Akintoye expressed dissatisfaction with how the institution has handled the situation and said that he lost his job because of their carelessness.

He pointed out that this occurrence was not the first of its kind; he had to leave other employment opportunities because of he wasn’t able to produce the certificate.

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When FIJ contacted Oladunjoye on Wednesday, April 19, he said that the university management was aware of the situation and that a committee had been set up to address it. 

“The issue is complex. We are not denying that he came to school here. We are still finding the truth concerning what happened with the results,” Oladunjoye said. 

When further asked about the complexity, he said, “the complexity has to do with finding the Senate-approved results. What we saw was not the Senate-approved results for his cohort. 

“I was not the HOD when the issue happened; there are many people with that kind of case and the university has set up a committee and different faculties to search for their results.”

FIJ contacted Ifegbesan on Thursday on the same matter, but he declined to comment.

FIJ’s messages to OOU’s Exams and Records Unit have not been responded to at press time. Attempts to contact Olufemi Ayodele, the institution’s registrar, have also not been successful.