The management of Lagos State University (LASU), Nigeria, has addressed the circulating certificate discovered at a ‘suya’ spot in the state.
In a statement released on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, the university confirmed the existence of the certificate but invalidated it due to an incorrect spelling of the bearer’s name.
According to LASU, the certificate bearing the name ABISOYE instead of ABIOYE was declared invalid on February 25, 2013. The university stated: “The certificate in question exists but was invalidated on February 25, 2013, because the graduate’s surname was incorrectly written as ABISOYE instead of ABIOYE.”
However, a corrected certificate was issued and collected by the graduate on September 30, 2014. The university emphasized that its policy requires invalidated certificates to be shredded immediately after re-issuance, but an oversight led to the certificate’s improper disposal, allowing it to enter the public domain.
“The invalidated certificate got into the public space due to improper screening of office waste papers prior to disposal,” the statement concluded.
The certificate in question belongs to Abisoye Azeez Oluwaseun, an engineering graduate who obtained Second Class Honours (Upper Division) in Chemical and Polymer Engineering from LASU. Despite the certificate’s invalidation, LASU assured the public that the graduate possesses a valid and correctly issued certificate.
The incident came to light after a man shared his encounter with the certificate, which was used to wrap ‘suya.’ LASU’s swift response aims to clarify the situation surrounding the certificate and uphold the integrity of its certification process.
