-State Hired Me – Akintolure
-Governing Council Made Independent Decision – Registrar
By Daniel Ojukwu
Uneasy, they say, lies the head that wears the crown. Anyone who opts to use this famous saying to explain the position of Dr. Shina Akintolure, lecturer in the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos would not be very far from the truth.
Akintolure, has come under fire for allegedly manipulating the institution’s Governing Council, to attain a position as ‘Lecturer 1’, a position he is alleged to be underqualified for.
It was learnt that Akintolure had served on the Alumni Association executive committee as secretary and president in a period spanning eight years, and left office as the president of the same association on the 15th of July, 2021. Akintolure is also jostling to return as president of the Alumni Association in an election scheduled for Saturday, 7 August, 2021.
According to this source, “He got employed as a lecturer through his being a member of the Governing Council of the College. He took advantage of his membership of the college governing council where he used his influence to secure an advantaged position of Lecturer 1 instead of Lecturer 3 which he is qualified for by virtue of his Master’s degree qualification.”
Akintolure allegedly only had a Master’s degree that qualified him to occupy the position of Lecturer 3 at the time of his appointment, prior to his attainment of his PhD.
The practice in the institution is that a lecturer has to have attained a doctorate degree to be hired at the Lecturer 2 level, and has to have served for a number of years and made some relevant publications to attain the level of ‘Lecturer 1’. This was why the appointment of Akintolure at ‘Lecturer 1’ level raised eyebrows, according to the source.
Findings made by our correspondent are that some other alumni of the institution feel compromised by the added attention, and fear a potential compromise of their interest as it concerns one of theirs.
– The Governing Council Made An Independent Decision On Akintolure –
In a bid to ascertain the position of the institution on the allegations, TheseTimes contacted its Registrar, Alhaji Shehu Muhideen.
Muhideen posited that appointments in the public service were by a number of criteria. He said in the academic space there were various reasons for appointments, and Akintolure had attained the doctorate degree before his appointment, contrary to the allegation, though he had not participated in the convocation ceremony of the institution.
He said, “There are various reasons for appointments – there are qualifications, publications and there are many other reasons for any other appointment in academics. And at the point he was appointed, he was already a PhD holder. The fact that you have not convocated, does not deny you (sic) that you do not possess a certificate.
“The case of Shina Akintolure, at the point the last council was appointing him, he was already a PhD holder. Standard-wise, in public service, once the Senate pronounces you, you are a carrier of that degree. Convocation is just a ceremony.
“It is written on your certificate, convocation is just a ceremony, and I cited a case for you, we have three sets now to be convocated. Will anybody now tell me that those who have graduated three years ago, who have collected statements of their results, and are yet to be convocated, are not carriers of their degrees?”
When quizzed on the requirement of multiple publications for one to attain the Lecturer 1 position, Muhideen said there was “nothing like that”. He said the most important factors were qualification and ability.
Akintolure’s appointment, according to the registrar, was an independent decision arrived at by the Governing Council based on advice proffered by academic experts which included the academic board of the institution.
– My Employers Are In The Best Position To React –
TheseTimes also reached out to Dr. Akintolure for comments.
He said, “with sense of humility, the job in question that people are talking about, I did not pick this job yesterday. The state government gave me a job through the management of the college. I think the employers will be in the best position to respond to those questions.”
