A report by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU on the ‘suspicious’ appointment of Nigeria’s Minister for Digital Economy and Communication, Isa Pantami by the council of the Federal University of Techonology, Owerri (FUTO) as a Professor of Cyber Security, has been released.
In documents sighted by POLITICS NIGERIA on Monday, the report conducted by a six-man committee of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) decribed Pantami’s professorship as a fraud and should be disregarded.
The committee headed by Daniel Gungula submitted that Pantami’s appointment “as a professor of cyber security by FUTO council did not follow the rules and regulations of the university and did not conform to the condition specified in the advertisement.”
“Based on the findings above, the committee wishes to recommend to NEC as follows; NEC should reject the appointment of Dr Isa Ibrahim as a professor of Cyber Security since he was not qualified and due process was not followed in the appointment. NEC should direct her members not to recognise, accord or treat Dr Isa Pantami as a professor of cyber security. NEC should sanction all individuals who participated or facilitated the illegal appointment and promotion exercise.”
The report pointed out that Pantami “was not qualified to apply for the position of the professor of cyber security in FUTO. His PhD could just earn him Lecturer 1. At no point was he a senior lecturer, not to talk of a reader (associate professor).”
Reacting to the development, Popular Critic and Lecturer, Farooq Kperogi highlighted some key observations he made from perusing the report. He wrote on social media;
“The ASUU FUTO committee set up by FUTO to exonerate Pantami of professorial fraud was carefully handpicked without the input of the ASUU FUTO congress. One member who had a moral conscience declined his nomination to serve on the committee.”
“Three deputy vice chancellors intimidated ASUU FUTO congress by their presence at a meeting where Pantami’s issue was discussed, ensuring that they issued that absolute disgrace that deodorized his professorial fraud.”
“Pantami has no office in the Department of Cyber Security, and the HOD has never seen him.”
“Contrary to FUTO’s tradition where a committee of deans examines professorial appointments, only one Professor G.A. Chukwudebe examined Pantami’s application. But Chukwudebe is NOT a professor of cyber security; he is a professor of electrical engineering!”
“Pantami was “promoted” (yes, PROMOTED) from Reader to Professor even though he was never a Reader anywhere in the world. He was Lecturer I at ATBU and an early career Assistant Professor (equivalent to Lecturer I) at the Islamic University of Madinah.”
“His “promotion” is “contrary to the decision of Council as communicated to Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim which indicated that he was appointed and not promoted.”
“As a tenured staff of FUTO who is not on an official leave of absence or on a sabbatical leave, Pantami does not attend mandatory meetings such as senate meetings, faculty board meetings, academic board meetings, etc. Although Pantami claimed he would teach FUTO students virtually, he has never done so, and FUTO doesn’t even have the facilities for virtual teaching.”
“Pantami’s name does not, in fact, appear on the schedule of courses to be taught at FUTO, showing clearly that he only wants the title but not the job of a professor.”
