The Kwara College of Education, Ilorin, says the college is yet to uncover how more than 2,000 fake certificates of the school were used to secure employment with various government agencies in the state.

Prof. Abdulraheem Yusuf, the Provost of the college, said in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ilorin that recent reports had twisted his response in the interview he granted.

The statement asserted that he never made mention of fake Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) in the interview, but statement of results.

NAN recalls that there was a media report recently disclosing that the college had so far uncovered about 2,000 fake certificates of the institution used to secure teaching jobs with the state.

“The attention of the management of Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, has been drawn to trending reports on some news media platforms purportedly credited to me.

“The report claimed that over 2,000 fake NCE certificates issued in the name of the institution have been used to secure employment in the State Civil Service, especially in SUBEB, Teaching Service Commission, and the state Ministry of Education,” the statement read in part.

It admitted that the provost granted an interview to a newspaper rrespondent on June 18, but explained he was largely misquoted.

“However, what is being reported, though not put in proper perspective as it is being misconstrued as if it is a recent development, was a result of the verification exercise carried out by SUBEB, Teaching Service Commission and State Civil Service Commission in 2018.

“Although there were cases of fake statement of results, not certificates, claimed to have been issued by the College in the past, many of them have been fished out.

“It should be stated for clarity of purpose that the issuance of certificates is the sole responsibility of the National Commission for Colleges of Education based on students graduation lists sent from the College.

“The Kwara State College of Education Ilorin, which remains the oldest NCE awarding institution in northern Nigeria, is known for credibility of its products, who have contributed and still contributing to all sectors of our national development.

“The college therefore will neither discredit nor disown any of its own products, who have legitimately fulfilled all conditions required for certification”, the statement quoted Yusuf saying.

It noted that the verification exercise was done in 2018 to restore the glory of the college and reposition it.