The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU has released the report of its findings on the ‘suspicious’ appointment of Nigeria’s Minister for Digital Economy and Communication, Isa Pantami by the council of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) as a Professor of Cyber Security.

In documents sighted by ABN TV 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 Ph.D. 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.”

“ASUU FUTO members were against the Pantamized professorial fraud but were scared of speaking out for fear of victimization. Only two young academics spoke out publicly against it.”

After accepting his fraudulent professorial appointment and claiming that he would resume duties at FUTO on March 31, 2021, he has never set foot on FUTO and “never came for documentation.”

So, technically, he isn’t a FUTO employee. Also, note that he “accepted” his “appointment” months before it was offered.”

“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.”

“He was assigned a PhD student to co-supervise in September, months after he became a “professor,” although FUTO requires PhD supervision prior to appointment or promotion to professorship.

Pantami has not met the minimum requirements of the job ad to which he applied since he doesn’t have up to 12 years of post-PhD experience.”

“Pantami’s articles were never subjected to a plagiarism check, which has been a requirement for promotion to a professorship at FUTO since 2018. There’s no evidence that Pantami is an expert in cybersecurity (his Ph.D. is in management from a business school), and he has hidden his CV from public access, indicating that “something is being covered up.”

“As a tenured staff of FUTO who is not on an official leave of absence or on 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.”

“Promotion and appointment to the rank of professor typically take a long time at FUTO (and many qualified FUTO employees are still waiting in line) but Pantami’s was concluded in just three months. ASUU members who participated in Pantami’s professorial fraud should be suspended from the union for a year, and the VC, Nnenna Oti, should be suspended from the union indefinitely.”