University of Ilorin

Authorities of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State on Sunday said that they had accepted the voluntary withdrawal of a student, Jephtaph Abolarin, from the institution.

Abolarin, a 300-Level Sociology student, had, according to The Punch report, written to the university confessing to cheating during his West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

Abolarin, who claimed he had become a ‘born again’ Christian, said continuing his university education, using an unmerited certificate was unjust and immoral.

He wrote the letter to the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Sidiqat Ijaiya, on August 5, 2016.

According to him, he wanted to withdraw from the school because he got his WASSCE through examination malpractice.

Abolarin actually followed some Biblical injunctions and personages about the concept of restitution, a controversial concept in the Church these days. This is because, while some faithful say one must do restitution to the letter, others believe that there are others one could do with counselling. For example, a man cannot tell his past escapades to his former grilfriend’s husband without scattering the family and it will go against the Bible which also says what God has put together, no man shall put assunder. Below are two (among many) passages of the Bible on restitution:

Luke 19:8-9
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.

Nehemiah 5:10-12

“And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. “Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say ” So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.

Reacting to the letter on Sunday, the university Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, confirmed the withdrawal of the student.

Akogun, who noted that the Senate of the university had accepted the withdrawal letter, added that the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulganiyu Ambali, commended Abolarin for his repentance and sincerity.

The VC, Akogun added, wished Abolarin well in his future endeavour.

Part of Abolarin’s letter to the DVC read, “Just as a house that was built on a faulty foundation will surely collapse, it is also certain that a career that is built on a faulty foundation will definitely collapse. All through my secondary school days, I was just a church ‘goer’, without genuine salvation and the fear of God. As a result, I got my WASSCE result through examination malpractice.

“By the grace of God, now, I have encountered the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which called for repentance and restitution.

“Sir, with deep conviction, I have realised that there is no point building my academic career on a faulty foundation; since the WASSCE result I got through malpractice is the basis in which my admission into this university was anchored.

“Therefore, I have decided to withdraw from the university and start all over again.”

Credit: The Punch.

http://punchng.com/student-confesses-cheating-wassce-withdraws-unilorin/