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Farooq Kperogi Reacts To FUTO’s ASUU Panel Validating Pantami’s Appointment As Professor
Farooq Kperogi, a US-based Nigerian Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media has reacted to a panel set-up by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, validating Minister of Communication, Isa Pantami’s appointment as Professor of Cybersecurity.
The panel in its report, had claimed that “the appointment of Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami as a professor of Cybersecurity by the FUTO Governing Council followed due process”.
However reacting to this, Kperogi stated that while “FUTO’s registrar had told the Nigerian Tribune that Pantami told FUTO that he was an “associate professor” at the Islamic University in Madinah before his relocation to Nigeria, and that Pantami’s promotion to a Professorship in cybersecurity was a consequence of his last academic position”, “Pantami lied and FUTO is either too feckless or too compromised to catch his obvious.”
The US-based Nigerian Professor claimed that the last article the Minister wrote while at the Islamic University in Madinah in January 2016 is “The Importance of Identity Management Systems in Developing Countries” (which he co-authored with a Yusuf Abubakar at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University), and he resigned and took up a government appointment thereafter. He alleged that in the artice, Pantami self-identified as “Asst Professor,” which is the short form of “Assistant Professor.”
Kperogri further alleged that there is a fraudulent edit of Pantami’s Researchgate profile to indicate that he was an “Associate Professor.” He also claimed that he got across to Pantami’s former colleagues at the University and they confirmed that his “last rank at the university was an “Assistant Professor” and he wasn’t qualified to be promoted to the next rank because he didn’t meet the minimum requiraements.
He also said that Pantami’s colleagues told him that to be promoted to an associate professor at the school, you need a minimum of four peer-reviewed SCOPUS-indexed journal articles and Pantami had none. Kperogri also asked for the publications which the ASUU panel claimed that external assessors evaluated.
FUTO ASUU’s Fraudulent “Clearing” of Pantami’s Fraudfessorship
By Farooq Kperogi
This is a quick, hurried response. A friend just called my attention to a news story in today’s Daily Trust about the FUTO branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) saying Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami’s appointment as “professor” of cybersecurity followed due process and that external assessors (whom they didn’t name) found his publications to be worthy of “promointment” (my coinage for promotion and/or appointment since the dolts at FUTO can’t decide what they have done) to the rank of professor.
These guys are comedians. Only that their comedy is humorless and fraudulent. Here are the issues. FUTO’s registrar had told the Nigerian Tribune that Pantami told FUTO that he was an “associate professor” at the Islamic University in Madinah before his relocation to Nigeria, and that Pantami’s promointment to a fraudfessorship in cybersecurity was a consequence of his last academic position. But Pantami lied, and FUTO is either too feckless or too compromised to catch his obvious lie.
In the last article he wrote while at the Islamic University in Madinah in January 2016 titled “The Importance of Identity Management Systems in Developing Countries” (which he co-authored with a Yusuf Abubakar at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University) before resigning and taking up a government appointment, he self-identified as “Asst Professor,” which is the short form of “Assistant Professor.”
Dr. Abdulaziz Tijjani called attention to the disconnect between Pantami’s last article before he accepted a government position where he identified his rank as “Asst Professor” and his fraudulent edit of his Researchgate profile to indicate that he was an “Associate Professor.”
Here’s a screenshot of the article which, by the way, is a garbage-in-garbage-out, pay-to-play, predatory article with zero editing or peer review.
And that leads to me to the next point, which FUTO’s incompetent and compromised ASUU panel glossed over in their so-called “investigation.” And that is that they did not officially write to the Islamic University of Madinah that supposedly promoted Pantami to the rank of associate professor after only two years of teaching there.
Well, I wrote to the university. Although I’m yet to get a formal response from the management of the school after two attempts, perhaps because I’m an individual, I did get across to some of Pantami’s former colleagues.
They confirmed to me that Pantami’s last rank at the university was an “Assistant Professor” and that he hadn’t qualified to be promoted to the next rank because he hadn’t met the minimum requirements. To be promoted to an associate professor at the school, they told me, you need a minimum of four peer-reviewed SCOPUS-indexed journal articles. Pantami had zero.
His articles were published in predatory journals, which are worthless in all decent schools. Some of Pantami’s colleagues are still assistant professors as I write this. His former department has a list of faculty publications on its website, which one of his former colleagues directed me to. I checked the years 2014 through 2016. None of Pantami’s fraudulent articles was listed there, obviously because they aren’t peer-reviewed or published in SCOPUS-indexed journals.
So, which publications of Pantami’s did FUTO’s external assessors evaluate? The same 10 publications on Google Scholar 80 percent of which are self-evidently low-quality, poorly edited, predatory journal articles that no self-respecting university would accept as scholarship? FUTO’s fraud is way worse than we think. I think it has truly earned my rechristening it as Fraudsters’ University of Technology!
The obviously rubber-stamped ASUU panel reportedly “strongly recommends that the University management should as a matter of urgency take appropriate actions, including legal action, against those who deliberately try to drag the image and reputation of FUTO to the mud.” Hahaha! FUTO dragged its reputation to the mud all by itself unaided.
These guys are obviously not just comical frauds, they are also pitifully lowbrow illiterates! Sue people for calling out daylight intellectual fraud? In what planet do these philistines live? OK, I am waiting for their lawsuit. Please, please and pretty please, sue me!
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has formally resigned from his position in the Federal Government to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.
In a resignation letter dated April 22, 2026, and addressed to the President, Adelabu stated that his resignation will take effect on April 30, 2026, to enable him to focus on his governorship ambition in Oyo State.
The letter, routed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated that he was stepping down with “a deep sense of honour and profound gratitude.”
He wrote, “I write with a deep sense of honour and profound gratitude to formally tender my resignation as the Honourable Minister of Power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This resignation is to take effect on 30th April 2026, in order to allow sufficient time for a smooth and orderly handover of responsibilities.”
Adelabu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve, describing his appointment as a privilege.
He said, “Your Excellency, I remain sincerely grateful for the privilege and confidence you reposed in me by appointing me to serve our great nation in this capacity.
“It has been a rare honour to contribute to national development under your leadership and to play a role in advancing reforms in the power sector—one of the most critical foundations of Nigeria’s industrial growth and economic transformation.”
The former minister said his resignation was to enable him focus fully on his governorship ambition in Oyo State, citing provisions of the amended electoral law.
He added, “My decision to step down is informed by my intention to focus fully on my gubernatorial ambition in Oyo State. This aspiration, which dates back to 2016 during my service as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, ultimately led to my voluntary resignation from the Central Bank in 2018 in order to pursue the same goal.”
“In line with the provisions of the Amended Electoral Act 2026, which preclude political office holders from contesting elections, I consider it both appropriate and necessary to resign at this time.”
Adelabu’s exit marks a major political development ahead of the next electoral cycle, particularly in Oyo State, where he is expected to contest the governorship election.
The Presidency has clarified that Wale Edun (former Finance Minister) and Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (former Housing Minister) voluntarily resigned from their positions and were not sacked by President Tinubu.
In a statement released this evening April 22, presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, said that contrary to public opinions, Wale Edun resigned on health grounds while Dangiwa also tendered his resignation and thanked the President for the opportunity given him to serve in the Federal Executive Council.
Onanuga stated that Edun, who clocked 70 on Monday and has battled recent ill health, fittingly submitted his resignation letter on his birthday, thanking the President for the opportunity to serve Nigeria.
“It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve your administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda, Under your leadership, Nigeria has emerged stronger, more resilient and more internationally respected. I wish you and the administration every success in the future” he wrote
Onanuga stated that on Tuesday, before the Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation announced his departure from the Cabinet, Edun paid a valedictory visit to the President at the Villa and held an hour-long discussion with the president and then left to focus on his private businesses.
The presidential aide stated that President Tinubu has expressed deep appreciation to Edun and Dangiwa for their dedicated service and significant contributions to the administration’s economic reform programme and wished them continued success in their future endeavours.
‘’In the same vein, the President has urged the new Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, to consolidate ongoing reforms and advance the administration’s fiscal and economic objectives with renewed focus, discipline, and innovation.
President Tinubu will shortly send the ministerial nominee for housing, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, also from Katsina, like Dangiwa, to the Senate for confirmation” the statement concluded
Nigeria’s retail lender, Unity Bank Plc, alongside leading climate innovation experts, has called for increased investment in the green economy and the adoption of frontier technologies as critical pathways to driving economic resilience and reducing the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations across Africa.
The call was made during a thought-provoking webinar hosted by the Bank to commemorate this year’s Earth Day, themed “The True Cost of Climate Change and Who Pays?”. Climate experts and stakeholders convened to examine the human, economic, and institutional costs of climate change, while spotlighting practical solutions to address its growing impact.
In his opening remarks, Unity Bank’s Head of Strategy and Innovation, Ibukun Coker, emphasised the urgency of addressing climate risks from both a societal and business perspective.
He said: “Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract challenge. It is an existential threat with direct consequences for individuals, businesses, and economies. At Unity Bank, we recognise the role institutions must play in incorporating sustainability in project financing, supporting businesses and promoting solutions that build resilience in communities where we operate.”
The webinar featured Chinwe Udo-Davis, Founder and CEO of Instollar, and Oluwatosin Ajide, Programme Manager at the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, both of whom provided insights into the drivers of climate change and the pathways to mitigation and adaptation.
Speaking during the session, Udo-Davis highlighted the disproportionate burden which climate change places on underserved communities and the need for inclusive solutions.
“The true cost of climate change is not evenly distributed. Communities with the least resources are often the most affected, whether through energy poverty, environmental degradation, or limited access to sustainable alternatives. Addressing this imbalance requires intentional investment in clean energy solutions that are both accessible and scalable.”
Ajide underscored the importance of coordinated, system-wide approaches in tackling climate challenges, particularly through innovation and policy alignment.
“Climate change is fundamentally a structural problem, and its solution requires a paradigm shift: from innovation and policy to financing and implementation. Stakeholders must work collaboratively to drive solutions that are sustainable and inclusive.”
The session also explored emerging opportunities in climate technology, renewable energy, and ecosystem financing, reinforcing the role of innovation and cross-sector collaboration in building long-term resilience.
By hosting the webinar, Unity Bank continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing sustainability-focused dialogue and supporting initiatives that promote responsible growth and environmental stewardship.
The initiative underscores the Bank’s broader strategic focus on environmental sustainability as well as its commitment to financial inclusion.
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