By Adesina Wahab 

A 2012 graduate of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Abayomi Roleola, has once again cried out over the delay in the transmission of his academic transcripts to his base in the United Kingdom where he needs them for some official purposes.

Roleola, who has paid twice to get the document, said he is becoming depressed with the situation, as he could lose a golden opportunity in his new base.

He obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science (Hons), Integrated Science Education and has paid since 2023 to get the transcripts.

The details of his transaction and interaction with the university are: “Matriculation number 080322066. The year of Admission was 2008. The year of Graduation was 2012. Statement of Result issued on January 22, 2013.

“Certificate – certified graduation date December 18, 2012. Class of certificate: Second class lower in BSc Ed Integrated Science. Name listed in the convocation pamphlet. Applied for 100-400 levels transcripts on June 1, 2023, with reference number RC 1255864 and paid the required N25,000. Applied again on January 3, 2024, with reference number RC 1556112 and paid another N25,000, making a total of N50, 000.

“The purpose of applying for the transcript was given as WES with reference number 6023927. It was for career advancement as a number of opportunities have been lost due to the delay in obtaining academic transcripts.”

When Roleola could not get any response from the university, he escalated the issue by mailing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola on November 30, 2023. He has not got any response up until now.

Most recent acknowledgement of his application on the university portal was on January 24, 2024, where it was stated that an officer would be assigned to attend to his request.

Nothing has been heard since then.

Before Roleola’s case and others was first  published by Vanguard late 2024, the Head of Communication Unit, UNILAG, Alhaja Adejoke Alaga Ibraheem, was contacted and she said, “Some people won’t apply for the document on time. Imagine somebody seeking admission for a higher degree in September and just applying for transcripts in August. We have had such a situation like that in the past. In January, the person was saying he needed the document but did not apply for it. He only applied in August when the item should be sent in September, how fast can we do that?

“We must not forget the issue of a large number of applicants and the pressure on the staff working in that section. It is first come, first to be served. Some also don’t apply right. Some people, especially those living abroad, would get people to apply on their behalf, and the other person may fill wrong address. If somebody has given wrong information, such could be lost in transit.

“We have a process whereby someone can track his or her transcripts. This is to let the applicant know the movement of the document. We allot reference numbers to all requests and there are phone numbers one can call if there is any issue. Even there are email addresses to send messages to.”

However, nothing has changed since then.