Explosive revelations have emerged from the ongoing inquest into the death of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Registrar, Mr. Imoleayo Adeniran, as the institution’s management admitted it appointed him without verifying his academic and professional credentials — due to lack of funds.
Appearing before the Coroner’s Court in Akure on Friday, Prof Ayodele Arowojolu, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of UNIMED’s Governing Council, confessed that financial constraints forced the university to skip mandatory background checks of the late registrar before confirming his appointment.
According to him, the management skipped due diligence because the institution was struggling financially and could not afford the cost of running checks on candidates.
“The Vice-Chancellor told me that the cost of conducting background checks was enormous,” Arowojolu testified.
“At that time, the university was finding it difficult to pay full salaries, so we relied on referee reports and the performance of candidates during the interview.”
The Pro-Chancellor said the council was also under pressure to fill the position quickly, as the outgoing registrar was due to leave office within days.
“We had between the 9th and 24th of that month to conclude the process. Time was against us, so I directed that all six shortlisted candidates be interviewed,” he said.
Pressed further on why the university did not appoint an acting registrar pending verification, Prof. Arowojolu explained that the council was under pressure to fill the vacancy quickly before the outgoing registrar’s tenure expired.
“Time was not on our side. The registry could not operate without a head, and council felt it would be better to confirm someone immediately than risk administrative vacuum,” he added.
The latest disclosure ties back to earlier testimony by Professor Adolphus Loto, a former Acting Vice-Chancellor of UNIMED, who had told the court that the late registrar was appointed through a flawed and irregular process.
Loto had further alleged that the deceased’s certificates were forged, and that universities in Australia and Nigeria later disowned him when verification was eventually carried out.
Loto’s petition to the police over the alleged forgery reportedly triggered the late registrar’s final days of distress before his death in July 2025.
Prof. Arowojolu however added that although a visitation panel later faulted the process, he found its report “one-sided and unfair“
“The panel claimed they had evidence that Adeniran handled his own shortlisting, but they never showed me such proof,” he said, adding that the government’s white paper on the report did not order the late registrar’s suspension or removal.
The revelation has drawn sharp criticism from observers, who say the university’s excuse of “no funds” for background checks amounted to administrative negligence—particularly given that the deceased later faced allegations of certificate forgery before his death.Meanwhile, the late registrar has been buried quietly at his Akure residence.
An autopsy, ordered by the coroner conducted had been conducted and reports expected, while the inquest continues to determine the exact cause of Adeniran’s sudden death and the series of controversies that trailed his career.
