Re: An Open Letter To The Vice-chancellor Of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike: Voluntary Withdrawal From School Of Postgraduate Studies Due To Inadequacy Of Program Structure For The M.Sc Accounting (Forensic) – By Nwogboji Emmanuel Usulor

The attention of the Management of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, has been drawn to a misleading online publication titled “An Open Letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike: Voluntary Withdrawal from School of Postgraduate Studies due to Inadequacy of Program Structure for the M.Sc. Accounting (Forensic)” by one Nwogboji Emmanuel Usulor.

The University would not have bothered replying to the said publication because of the obvious ignorance displayed by the writer; however it is pertinent that we set the records straight in the interest of the unsuspecting public. While Mr. Nwogboji has the right of voluntary withdrawal from the University, however his open letter seems geared towards gaining cheap publicity.

For the avoidance of doubt, AE-FUNAI does not offer Forensic Accounting as a postgraduate programme, as alleged by Mr. Nwogboji in his desperate bid to mislead the public. His admission’s letter clearly stated that fact. Hence, his question on whether the University reviewed the programme modalities does not arise. The courses he listed in his open letter are taught-courses for M.Sc. Accounting (not Forensic Accounting), which every postgraduate student, irrespective of his/her preferred area of research interest, is required to shoulder. Therefore, Mr. Nwogboji’s detailed advice while ending his open letter would only become needful if and when the University decides to mount a postgraduate degree in Forensic Accounting. For now, his advice is only diversionary.

More importantly, Mr. Nwogboji had opportunity to seek clarification from relevant University authorities concerning the issues he raised but chose to deliberately represent the facts in his open letter. It is evident he was mixing area of research interest and programme of study.

According to Hertfordshire Business School, area of specialization or research interest describes broadly the subject area for your research within your discipline as a postgraduate student. It differs from programme of study which consists of courses required to complete a specific degree inclusive of a required major and minor courses. The award of degree in this sense must be within the programme of study and not in the area of research interest, though the student can specialize. Based on this, Mr. Nwogboji might have been confusing the interrelatedness between the two. Unfortunately, by choosing to withdraw from the University, he has missed the opportunity to learn and be properly guided.

On his wide claim that the structure of the postgraduate programmes is complex and defective, Mr. Nwogboji needs to be properly educated that ALL the postgraduate programmes being run in AE-FUNAI passed through the National Universities Commission’s resource verification and ALL also have full approval. The implication is that, in line with the NUC Minimum Benchmark, the programmes are sufficiently designed in form and in substance.

More so, Mr. Nwogboji’s grouse with the payment of N15, 000 for academic transcript is also misplaced. All over the world, students pay for academic transcript regardless of whether they are alumni of the University or not. More so, if the thoroughness in verifying certificates and credentials of students or insisting that claims of payments are verified, as instituted by the University through her School of Postgraduate Studies is discouraging to him, then Mr. Nwogboji deserves our sympathy.

Finally, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, remains irrevocably committed to academic excellence.

Thank you.

Elom Ikechukwu Ubochi
Head, Public Relations & Information
AE-FUNAI