Lagos, Nigeria - A former governor of Nigeria's South-east Abia State, Mr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has been stripped of the degree certificate awarded to him while in office by the state-owned Abia State University for failing to meet the requirements for the award of such certificate.
According to local media reports Sunday, the decision to strip the former governor, who enrolled in the school while he was in office and also the visitor to the university, was taken by the institution's senate after an emergency meeting on Saturday.
'On the strength of the findings and recommendations of an investigative panel into allegations of breach of the extant academic regulations of Abia State University, in the admission process of the admission and graduation of Kalu Orji Uzor in the discipline of Government and Public Administration, of matriculation number 00/42226, the Senate of the university at its resumed 69th extra-ordinary meeting of March 1, 2013 and by a vote of 88 against three dissenting voices only, approved the cancellation and withdrawal of the degree, result and certificate awarded to him,' institution's Registrar O.E. Onuoha was quoted to have said in a statement Saturday.
“The decision of Senate was based on the following grounds among others: The violation of the academic regulations of the university on Admission-by-Transfer, which rendered the offer irregular, ab initio and the he non-completion of the mandatory six semesters (i.e. three academic years of study), before he was awarded a degree of the university. He spent only two semesters in all,' the statement said
The ex-governor was quoted to have said his lawyer would respond to the decision at the appropriate time.
Pana 03/03/2013