Months after ‘PhD scandal’, acting DG of FIIRO remains on seat

Months after the whistle was blown on his alleged false claim to having a PhD,  Chima Igwe remains the acting director-general of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO). 

This is fuelling speculation that he is enjoying political protection, although the board has called his qualification to question.

A month before his appointment as the acting DG in May 2019, the board had sent a letter to the supervising ministry of science and technology stating that Igwe was unable to prove that he has a doctorate degree, a prerequisite not only for such appointment, but also for the promotion of senior officers. 

After 17 years of submitting a letter of attestation, Igwe, the board alleged, was yet to come forth with his PhD certificate and had failed to meet ultimatums given him. 

Although Igwe was the most senior official at the time Gloria Elemo, the former DG, left, the board asked the ministry to consider someone else for the position, a recommendation that seemed to have been ignored by the ministry. 

In a report by Punch in September, sources had said only a few people knew that Igwe did not have a certificate to back his PhD claim until some months to the retirement of the former DG.

“They saw that there was no certificate in his file and what he had for the past 17 years is an attestation letter. So, they insisted that he get the certificate. If you graduated 17 years ago, your certificate should have been signed by the vice-chancellor at that time,” the newspaper quoted a source to have said. 

“It is not the new vice-chancellor that will sign your certificate. And the school should have it in their records if it has not been issued to you. But at the expiration of the time the board gave him, he could not produce the certificate.” 

Another source reportedly said “anybody without a PhD cannot become a chief research officer or even assistant research officer. There are some people in this institute who have been principal officers for over 10 years but because they don’t have a PhD, they are not promoted to chief officers, which is not fair. It is pushing people to the brink.

“We were surprised when he came out with the PhD attestation letter within a short while of claiming he was running the programme. Because of that, he was promoted above officers who were ahead of him.”

This would bring the question on how Igwe had since enjoy senior level promotions without a PhD, and has been on directorate level since 2010.  

‘HE HAS NOT COMPLETED HIS PHD’

In his profile on FIIRO’s page, Igwe is said to hold a PhD in natural products chemistry from Universite Nationale du Benin — now Universite d’Abomey — Calavi, Benin Republic. 

But Valentin Wotto, a professor and deputy director of the doctoral school, who allegedly signed the attestation letter for Igwe, had told Punch that Igwe did not have complete the degree that time.

“He didn’t finish. He started with a lecturer (as supervisor) at the time, Prof. Mudashiru, who is now retired. He had completed the first year, the second year, but he did not complete the third year when he should have the dissertation and defence,” the professor told the newspaper.  

“So, we told him that if he wanted his PhD, he must register again. Then he could finish and defend his thesis before having the attestation.” 

HE IS NOT ALWAYS AROUND 

Twice, TheCable visited FIIRO to have audience with Igwe over the matter, but he was said to be away in Abuja. 

On Friday when TheCable first visited, Igwe’s secretary said her boss just left for a meeting in Abuja and asked that TheCable check the following Monday. 

Perhaps she forgot she had used a similar line, the secretary said on Monday again that Igwe just left for Abuja.  

It was the same experience when Punch visited as the newspaper was told Igwe had travelled and was not available to meet their correspondent.

The secretary, however, directed TheCable to Chris Olumuyiwa, FIIRO’s public relations officer, who said things would be communicated Wednesday. 

“You will have to come back, and before then we would have seen people concerned,” Olumuyiwa told TheCable. 

Abdulganiyu Aminu, the ministry of science and technology spokesperson, is yet to respond to TheCable’s inquiry.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had promised to make its findings into the matter, but Rasheedat Okoduwa, ICPC’s spokesperson, is yet to respond to TheCable’s message asking how far the agency had gone on the case.