The University of Calabar has suspended a lecturer, Joseph Akpan, for allegedly changing examination scores.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, announced this on Wednesday in Calabar.
According to Prof. Obi, Akpan, who was the Head of the Department of Pharmacology, is accused of altering 235 examination results for the course “Introduction to General Antimicrobial Pharmacology”. She stated, “He changed the scores in 235 out of 242 result scripts that were given to him.”
The Vice-Chancellor further claimed that Akpan not only changed the scores but also gave marks to two students who did not take the exams. She added, “Only five scripts were genuinely marked without any changes.”
Prof. Obi said Akpan admitted to the wrongdoing during an investigation by the Senate Examination Misconduct Committee. She mentioned that he claimed he inflated the scores to protect the department’s reputation, calling this reasoning “ridiculous and unacceptable.”
As a result of the misconduct, the university’s management decided to relieve Akpan of his duties as HOD and Coordinator of PHM 311. He has also been suspended from his teaching position effective October 8, 2024.
The Vice-Chancellor explained, “His official responsibilities will be given to other qualified lecturers in the department. He has been instructed to stay away from the university unless he is responding to an invitation from relevant committees.”
