A degree certificate from Lagos State University (LASU) recently trended on social media after it was found at a ‘suya’ spot in Lagos. The certificate belonged to Abisoye Azeez Oluwaseun, who graduated with Second Class Honours (Upper Division) in Chemical and Polymer Engineering.
This prompted an official investigation and response from the university. On Tuesday, LASU management clarified that the certificate was invalid due to a misspelling. Specifically, the surname was incorrectly written as “ABISOYE” instead of “ABIOYE.” This error rendered the certificate invalid on February 25, 2013.
The university detailed that a new certificate with the correct surname was issued and collected by the graduate on September 30, 2014. According to LASU policy, invalidated certificates should be shredded immediately after re-issuance to prevent any misuse. However, an oversight led to the invalidated certificate not being shredded and eventually it ended up in the public domain. This oversight was due to improper screening of office waste papers before disposal.
In their statement, LASU noted, “The University, having recovered the certificate on November 21, 2018, wishes to make the following clarifications: 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.”
The university recovered the invalidated certificate on November 21, 2018. LASU emphasized that despite the certificate appearing in public, it had already been invalidated and replaced years earlier. The statement concluded, “The invalidated certificate got into the public space due to improper screening of office waste papers prior to disposal.”
