Professor
Aize Obayan, a former Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota has
been suspended from her position as director of the Education Commission
of the Winners Chapel by the church’s general overseer, Bishop David
Oyedepo.
Ms. Obayan was suspended for reportedly
altering examination results for several students in the department of
Mass Communications. Among the students who benefited from the former
VC’s grade alteration was Ms. Obayan’s own daughter. The former VC was
accused of perpetrating the academic fraud during her tenure.
The former VC’s daughter graduated with a
Second Class Upper Division in Mass Communication and is currently
doing her National Youth Service Corps service. A source at the
university revealed that Ms. Obayan inflated all of her daughter’s
scores, otherwise the young woman would have earned a Third Class
degree.
The former VC had re-introduced make-up
examination without proper authorization – and after the university’s
Senate had abolished the option. “She introduced make-up exam to enable
her daughter [to] retake the course she failed,” said a source.
Recently, a Dr. Omojola, a lecturer in
the Department of Mass Communication, petitioned the Chancellor of the
University after his first protest was suppressed by the then VC. In his
protest, Mr. Omojola alleged that Nnamdi Ekeanyanwu, the acting Head of
Department of Mass Communication, had engaged in extensive alteration
of students’ examination results. The petition led to Mr. Ekeanyanwu’s
removal as Head of Department.
Dr. Stanley Ngoa replaced him, but spent
only the 2011-2012 session at the helm, before the former VC
reappointed Dr. Ekeanyawu to return as departmental head. Our source
indicated that, with Dr. Ekeanyanwu’s return, the fraudulent practice of
grade alteration worsened in the Mass Communication Department and
across other departments of the university, including Chemistry where
one student’s score was raised to 45% from 5%, an outright failure.
Associate Professor Taiwo Abioye, Deputy Vice-Chancellor,
Administration, headed a panel appointed by the Chancellor, Professor
C.K. Ayo, to investigate the case. Dr. Ekeanyanwu was summoned by the
panel to defend himself on charges of altering examination scores of
students, including Miss Obayan, for monetary benefits. He not only
accepted his guilt for all the charges, but also confessed that he acted
in collusion with the former VC, Professor Obayan.
Ms. Obayan was also invited to appear
before the Abioye panel, but she reportedly offered no defense. Pastor
Faith Oyedepo, wife of Bishop Oyedepo, has taken over the duties of Ms.
Obayan at the church’s secretariat. Reporters learned that plans were
underway to return Dr. Daniel Rotimi to the Education Commission. Mr.
Rotimi was a one-time registrar of the University.
It was learned that Mr. Rotimi, who is a
pastor, last year married a second wife (a former student at Covenant
University) in his quest for a male child. He and his first wife had
only girls.
A lecturer at Covenant University told
SaharaReporters that he wondered whether the university could really
realize its much touted claim of raising a new generation of African
leaders when top officials at the school offer examination grades for
sale?