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Tag: Certificate

  • JUST IN: DSS confirms alteration in Bayelsa Deputy Gov’s certificate

    JUST IN: DSS confirms alteration in Bayelsa Deputy Gov’s certificate

    The Department of State Service (DSS) confirmed on Monday that its investigation revealed alteration in the exemption certificate issued by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Oborawharievwo Ewhrudjakpo.

    The Head, Legal Department, DSS, Abdulsalam Ibrahim, who represented DSS’ Director General, told the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Tribunal in Abuja that his agency was ordered by an Abuja court to investigate allegation of certificate forgery against Ewhrudjakpo.

    Ibrahim was at the tribunal to tender documents and testify for the petitioner upon a subpoena issued on the DG, DSS by the tribunal.

    The candidate of the Liberation Movement (LM) in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa, Vijah Opuama had petitioned the tribunal, alleging that Ewhrudjakpo submitted forged exemption certificate and documents that contain false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the election.

    Ibrahim, led in evidence by petitioner’s lawyer, Pius Danbe Pius, said: “My lord, on the 22nd of February 2020, we received a letter from an Area Court in Lugbe, Abuja asking the DSS to investigate the NYSC exemption certificate of Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the present Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.”

    He said his agency conducted investigation by reaching out to the NYSC. He said the DG, NYSC wrote to the DG, DSS confirming alteration in the surname in the exemption certificate issued Ewhrudjakpo.

    Ibrahim however told the tribunal that the alteration was done by the NYSC at the instance of Ewhrudjakpo.

    The petitioner’s lawyer later tendered a copy of the subpoena, a copy of the letter from the Area Court and two investigation reports dated May 27 and 28, 2020, including an annexture from the NYSC, through the witness.

    Respondents’ lawyers, including Ibrahim Bawa (SAN), Chris Uche (SAN) and Chukwuma Machwkwu Umeh did not object to the tendering of the documents, following which the tribunal admitted them and marked them Exhibits P1, P2, P3 and P4.

    Upon a request by Pius, Ibrahim read the conclusion of the report of the investigation conducted by his agency, which the tribunal had admitted in evidence.

    The conclusion of the report, as read out by Ibrahim, went thus: “Based on the foregoing and the relevant documents forwarded to this service, it is evident that the subject altered the spelling of his surname to reflect the letter D as against the letter O in the certificate of exception earlier issued by NYSC.”

    Under cross-examination by lawyer to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Enoidem, Ibrahim confirmed that the alteration in the certificate was effected by the NYSC.

    The witness agreed with Enoidem that it is the bearer of a name that knows how best to spell his/her name.
    Under cross-exemination by Chris Uche (SAN), lawyer to Duoye Diri (the Bayelsa State Governor), the witness said the alteration was done by the NYSC upon the request by Ewhrudjakpo.

    Uche later asked the witness to read paragraph 7 of a document marked “P3” (one of the reports the investigation by the DSS), which Ibrahim read,thus: “it is based on this recent finding, that we wish to bring to the notice of the DSS that we (the NYSC) corrected the certificate of exemption to read Ewhrudjakpo. Only the last letter A was corrected to read letter O.”

    When asked to identify an attachment to the report, the witness identified it as “Annexture 2,” which he explained “is a letter to the NYSC seeking a request for correction, following which the correction was now made.”

    At the conclusion of the witness’ testimony, Pius said his next witness is Ewhrudjakpo, who he said has been subpoenaed to produce the original copy of the certificate of exemption.

    Pius said, by his case plan, the Deputy Governor was the next appropriate witness for the petitioner.

    The tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo adjourned till Tuesday (June 2) for the hearing of a motion by Ewhrudjakpo, challenging his invitation as the petitioner’s witness.

    Earlier the tribunal in a ruling, rejected an application by LM to be made a party in the case.
    Justice Sirajo upheld the arguments of the respondents, to the effect that the party failed to justify why it filed the application late.

    Justice Sirajo held that there was no exceptional circumstances to warrant the granting of the applicant’s request to have its application heard outside the tribunal’s pre-hearing session.

    He noted that the time for the hearing of such application has elapsed, with the applicant not being able to justify why it delayed in seeking to be made a party in a petition filed by its candidate.

  • Certificate forgery suit for 7th time malicious – Rep Idirisu

    Certificate forgery suit for 7th time malicious – Rep Idirisu

    The member representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency of Kogi state, Lawal Idirisu has described as “pure blackmail” and “malicious” publication on a fresh certificate forgery suit against him.

    Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aloysius Adeiza, who contested for the seat, had on the 6th February, 2020, filed a fresh suit at the FCT High Court, Abuja, challenging the lawmaker’s education qualification.

    The suit is challenging the National Diploma Certificate issued to Idirisu by the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

    Reacting to the publication on the suit, Hon. Idrisu through his Counsel, Tawada Adams Esq, told newsmen that it was the 7th time the case of alleged certificate forgery was being filed, adding that all previous judgments on the matter had been in his favour.

    He said that several courts of competent jurisdiction including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court had ruled in his favour on the matter.

    He, therefore, wondered how new reports in an online medium published on February 20, noted that a fresh suit, which would be the 7th, had been filed on the same matter.

    He said the publication was intended to mislead the Nigeria Police and the general public.

    He said the media publication was politically motivated, stressing that having been decided at different courts of law, the fresh suit was tantamount to abuse of court process.

    “The said online publication is purely politically motivated as the issue of the alleged forgery against Hon. Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu has since been settled by superior courts of the land.

    “Therefore, consider the said publication as a pure blackmail coming from people whom have tried through the courts without success and have now resorted to cheap blackmail, despite the clear position of the courts on this issue,” he said.

    He, therefore, enjoined the general public to disregard the latest publication on the fresh suit, as it is “highly subjudice”.

    “We therefore contend that any other criminal allegation instituted on same facts of forgery against Hon. Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu amounts to an abuse of court process, in which the complainant, Hon. Aloysius Okino Adeiza has been stopped from raising similar complaints.

    “We consider the said publication as unfounded, malicious and highly subjudice, since the issue of a pending criminal charge against Hon. Lawal Muhammadu Idirisu is being challenged in court at the moment in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/200/2020”, the statement further added.

    It would be recalled that, Adeiza of the PDP, had in 2015, challenged the qualification of Idirisu to contest the House of Representatives election, but lost the suit at both the Tribunal sitting in Lokoja and the appellate court.

    The Supreme Court of Nigeria had also dismissed the allegation of certificate forgery against Idirisu.

  • General Buhari’s Cambridge Certificate is as Nonexistent as Louis Odion’s Self Esteem, By Reno Omokri

    By Reno Omokri
    It was Lord Alfred Denning who said that you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand. That was what flashed in my mind, when I read Louis Odion’s dribble, ‘Atiku, ambition and the endgame’, which tried to argue away General Buhari’s lack of a school leaving certificate on the basis that Mr. Buhari had attended high military courses and was a former head of state.
    Idi Amin was also a former head of state. Idi Amin also went on high military courses, but just as you cannot put a crown on a clown and expect a king, you cannot also put a military course on a semiliterate and expect him to be a literate.
    What Chapter VI, Part I, Section 131 of the Nigerian Constitution prescribes as minimum qualifications to qualify a person to contest for the office of President is as follows:
    “They have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”
    A military course is not an equivalent of a School Leaving Certificate.
    I understand that General Buhari only last month appointed Louis Odion as his Senior Technical Assistant on Media (whatever that means), but that should not mean that Mr. Odion should succumb to intellectual laziness in his bid to please his master.
    In his attempt to accuse Waziri Atiku Abubakar of fraud, he said the Peoples Democratic Party candidate dug up an old video of Lai Mohammed and passed it off as new. That is a lie and Mr. Odion knows that. But even if it were true, and so what? What matters is not when Lie Mohammed (pun intended) said what he said. What matters is whether what he said is true or not.
    If I say Louis Odion is a man. That statement remains true, irrespective of when it was made. The only thing that may arguably change its validity is if Louis Odion had a sex change surgery. I know Louis has had a conscience change surgery when General Buhari appointed him as his 10th media aide, but he still remains a man. At least, I hope so.
    For the avoidance of doubt, what Lie Mohammed said is as follows:
    “53 years after a fellow has left secondary school. 53 years, I think we should pardon him. Because has not even known where he kept it.”
    That remains true today as it was on the day the statement was made.
    And Lai Mohammed’s testimony corroborates Maj.-Gen. Paul Tarfa (rtd) evidence to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that the Nigerian Army neither asked for or retained the school certificates of enlisted men or recruits.
    Both Mr. Mohammed and Mr. Tarfa corroborated a 2015 affidavit by the Nigerian Army that they were not in possession of then candidate Buhari’s certificate. So obviously, General Muhammadu Buhari lied under oath. He committed perjury.
    If General Buhari thinks he has an attack dog in Louis Odion, I urge him to have a rethink. What he has is a little domestic kitten, who is eager to fatten up.
    Mr. Odion says Mr. Abubakar is “super corrupt” and that he laundered €150 million. Even the paramilitary wing of the All Progressive Congress (AKA EFCC), has not accused Atiku Abubakar of such or anything close to such.
    Yes, they brought charges against his son-in-law and lawyer, but these charges were not for laundering €150 million. The charges are laughable political motivated charges. In proof of this, I remind Nigerians of how they lied that money had been laundered to former President Obasanjo, until Babalele Abdullahi produced evidence to show that they lied and his donation went through normal banking channels.
    But if Mr. Odion is so set against money laundering, why is he silent about Bola Tinubu, who was caught on camera, by drones, ferrying money to his house in bullion vans on the morning of the last Presidential elections, in contravention of the Money Laundering Act, 2011, and then went on to boast about it the next day on Channels TV?
    Who is super corrupt between an Atiku, who is the most investigated politician in Nigeria, without anything being found against him, and a General Buhari, who loaded his cabinet with corruption gold medalists?
    If Mr. Louis Odion says General Buhari has integrity, then I have the following questions for him:
    • Why was Goje’s ₦25 billion corruption case dropped?
    • Who owns the Ikoyi apartment billions?
    • When will @AishaMBuhari’s ADC be tried?
    • Who reinstated and double-promoted Maina?
    • When will the NNPC $25 billion scandal be investigated?
    • Where is ₦40 fuel?
    • Where is ₦1 equal to $1?
    • Where is subsidy removal?
    • Where is Boko Haram’s defeat?
    • Where is uninterrupted power?
    • Where is the promised security?
    • Where is the promised refinery?
    • Where are 3 million jobs annually?
    • Where is no foreign medical treatment?
    • Where is ‘we will not tolerate corruption?
    • Where is I belong to everybody and I belong to no one?
    If you say the DEVIL is a LIAR? What would you say about General Buhari? Satan is Buhari’s apprentice in lying.
    As for Louis Odion, I would not take such a person seriously. Google his 2017 article “PMB, Atiku And Illusion Of Party” https://www.thecable.ng/pmb-atiku-illusion-party.
    In that piece, Louis Odion praised Atiku to the moon and back and ridiculed Buharists (as he called them). Below is an excerpt from the piece:
    “Put together, the tribe of Buharists are free to continue to live in denial. Though they may be unwilling to admit it, Atiku already scored the preliminary strategic point: framing the 2019 debate within APC and baiting Buhari to declare his stand.”
    Today, he is singing a different tune. Why? People like Odion are what Warri people call ‘anywhere belle face’!
    Reno Omokri
    Thinker. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Avid traveller. Table Shaker. Buhari Tormentor. Sharer of the Gospel, not the gossip.

  • Presidential Election Petition: Why Certificate Mattered, By Law Mefor

    Presidential Election Petition: Why Certificate Mattered, By Law Mefor

    By Law Mefor

    Like a sore thumb, the issue of the secondary school certificate of President Muhammadu Buhari keeps sticking up. But why should secondary school certificate of a full army general who has attended the Nigeria Defence Academy and later, two to three officers training institutions around the world, still matter?

    Part of the silver-tongued argument of some is this direction is that such a general has actually been educated beyond secondary education. To such observers, it is even insolent to query the educational qualification of one who had attended postgraduate degree- awarding military institutions. This assertion is, without a doubt, true. But it is not the point I dare state.

    The point is precisely the qualification of the individual to attend such educational institutions. Every institution has a minimum entry requirement. Nigerian universities require 5 credits in requisite subjects, including English and Mathematics. What this take as fact is that an applicant has to first qualify at a given irreducible baseline, below which the individual ought not to enroll at all. In science, this point is regarded as the threshold.

    This minimum entry requirement is so fundamental that those who are helped are given remedial courses for augmentation, and time to make up without which the individual is not qualified to hold the certificate of the institution even where the person can graduate with excellence.

    This practice is good and global best, and time-honoured. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand. In other words, you cannot put a first degree certificate on a base that lacks the secondary education foundation, as that level is designed as the feeder to the tertiary. Many degree certificates have been withdrawn for the failure of the holders to prove that they possess the said prerequisite entry qualifications in pursuit of degrees, higher honours and laurels. The latest example could be a professor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, who was discovered not to possess the basic certificate.

    One can understand the apprehension of many Nigerians on the issue of secondary school certificate of Mr. President. When it first cracked up in the build up to the 2015 Presidential Election, the President informed the nation that all his certificates were with the Army. The Army responded, denying being in possession of the secondary school certificate of the President. The military instead, showed an attestation letter from the Principal of the secondary school he attended to the NDA, affirming that Buhari could pass some listed subjects.

    Granted, it was acceptable for a student to gain admission into a higher Institution with insufficient qualifications. That is where remedial courses come in handy to help the candidate make up for the deficits. External examinations are also inescapable where the admitting institution does not offer certificates in the affected categories. For example, a student who entered university without English and Mathematics is expected to sit for external GCE or resit WASC examination from the University as an external candidate, and in order to pass them since they are part of the minimum entry requirement, or else…

    So, it was okay for a Muhammadu Buhari to enter NDA without full entry qualifications. What will be out of order is graduating and getting his commission an officer without such entry qualifications. In the unlikely event that that was what happened, then it is most unfortunate. It means the commissioning was done in error and all subsequent promotions also done in error. The collateral damage of such circumvention can only be imagined.

    For the avoidance of doubt, an attestation cannot take the place of a certificate. Certificates are earned after sitting for the appropriate examinations, and not by attestation of a teacher, headmaster or principal. When the issue was first challenged in court by a number of litigants and the President, then APC Presidential candidate, rather than bring up the certified true copy from the issuing institution, the Cambridge, assembled a team of SANs to defend him instead. The cases were eventually struck out for lack of diligent prosecution, and for the refusal of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to press on.

    Dissatisfied with the conduct and outcome of the 2019 Presidential Election, the PDP candidate in the 2019 Presidential Election, Atiku Abubakar has made the same certificate another major issue in his petition. Sever is the other.

    Initially, until the issue of perjury was alleged, many did not see why the secondary school certificate should still matter about a man who had risen to the rank of a 3-star general, risen to the position of military Head of State, and President of the country. It will be good to know why perjury entered the issue.

    After all, Cambridge has reissued the certificate and it has been submitted to the Presidential Election Tribunal. This ought to rest the case. It is impossible for an ancient institution like Cambridge to try to deceive Nigerians by issuing a certificate that never existed.

    Let the certificate saga of Mr. President be put to rest by clearing the claim of perjury. It has also been challenged by some lawyers. On technicality, it was thrown out at the court of first instance, Appeal and the Supreme Court for being time-barred.

    Technicality is now a turning point in the nation’s justice system where judgment is delivered without justice. Citizens want to stop impugning the integrity of the nation’s President. He either holds secondary school certificate or he does not. The nation deserves to know. More importantly, what the nation’s laws say about it must apply.

    · Dr. Law Mefor is an Abuja-based Forensic and Social Psychologist, Author and Journalist; drlawmefor@gmail.com; @LawMefor1.

  • No certificate listed on Buhari’s CV — Presidency

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, admitted before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja on Tuesday that no certificate was listed on the President’s curriculum vitae and that none was among the documents obtained from Cambridge University earlier tendered as exhibits.
    Kyari, who testified as the President’s third defence witness, also admitted obtaining the Cambridge documents personally on July 18, 2019.
    The Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had filed the petition before the tribunal to challenge the victory of President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress in the February 23, 2019 poll.
    Part of the grounds of the petition was that Buhari did not possess the academic qualification necessary to contest the poll.
    Under a cross examination by the petitioners’ lawyer, Kyari said he was 67 years old and that he had known Buhari for nearly 40 years.
    Kyari also said he signed for and collected the Cambridge documents for the assessment by Cambridge.
    He did not say if he traveled to London to obtain the documents; but he confirmed that none of the documents contained a certificate.
    He confirmed that the Cambridge documents were “assessments.”
    He also confirmed that the curriculum vitae signed by Buhari did not have any certificate listed, apart from the list of schools attended by the President.
    He also admitted that the Diploma in Strategic Study which he claimed Buhari possessed was not listed in the President’s CV.
    Under cross-examination by APC’s lawyer, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Kyari, however maintained that Atiku was a Cameroonian by being born in Jadda in 1946, as of the time of which the part of Adamawa State was still a part of Norther Cameroon.
    He also identified Buhari in a picture of those who were said to be the President’s classmates and teachers while graduating as a Class 6 pupil in 1961.

  • We’ll no longer reissue misplaced, stolen certificates – WAEC warns

    Owners of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificates have been advised to guard them well. The body said on Sunday it will not re-issue on account of misplacement, fire, flood or theft.

    The council’s Head of National Office, Mr. Olu Adenipekun, said the advice became necessary as lots of people have been approaching the council at various times for a re-issue of the lost certificates.

    He said: “Let me make it clear that in the real sense of it, our certificates are issued only once, irrespective of who is involved or the circumstance that led to the misplacement, and that remains the truth of the matter.

    “We do not issue our West African Senior School Certificates Examination (WASSCE) twice.

    “But, if we have such cases of theft, fire, flood and others, as it concerns these certificates, yes, in reaction to our operational environment, we can consider the issuance of an ‘attestation certificate.

    “About five years ago, the council, that is, the highest governing body met and took a decision on this, stressing that there is no test body that issues two of its certificates to a single candidate in one examination.

    “But, if a candidate should experience such losses through fire, flood or theft and can provide all the necessary proofs required to that effect, that will show such things actually happened to his or her certificate, there are certain steps such candidates are expected to take before approaching the council for further action.”

    The WAEC chief explained that after all such processes had been satisfactorily concluded then, the council would consider the issuance of “Attestation Certificate”.

    “It is this certificate that we give out, and not re-issuance of another certificate. This is what we have been doing for the past five years now.

    “We have many Nigerians who have benefitted from this, because it is like a replacement of the real certificate. These people who have benefitted from this come from all the stratum of the society,” Adenipekun said.

    According to him, in an effort to reduce the incidence of certificates loss and protection, the council in Nigeria, four years ago introduced what it called certificate cover.

    He explained that one of the ways candidates or perons get their certificates destroyed was majorly in an attempt to laminate them.

    “It has been discovered that quite a large number of people rush off to business centres immediately after collecting their WASSCE certificates, and in an attempt to get them laminated, they are destroyed in the process.”

    Adenipekun said that the council’s non-sticky certificate covers were unique and protective, even if when submerged in water.

    He added that these were parts of the innovations the council introduced over the years in an attempt to serve the public well.

  • Okorocha thanks INEC for issuing certificate of return

    Immediate past Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for issuing him his certificate of return as the senator-elect for Imo west.

    Okorocha, in a statement by his media aide, Sam Onwuemedo, in Owerri, said that he was happy that the issuance of certificate of return received national and international attention.

    He said that that that he commended the INEC Retuning Officer, Prof Innocent Ibeabuchi who said that he declared him(Okorocha) senator-elect under duress.

    Okorocha said that without the don, his case wouldn’t have received public sympathy.

    The statement read in part, “With the release of his certificate of return as the Senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District, former governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has thanked God.

    “He also thanked Nigerians for their concern and solidarity all through the period his certificate of return was an issue.

    “He also expressed gratitude to the judiciary for being there for those who hunger for justice.”

  • President Buhari and the hunting ghost of a certificate

    By Godwin Etakibuebu

    The controversy surrounding President Muhammadu Buhari’s certificate is gradually moving from “not-too-sweet-taste to extremely-bitter-taste”.

    That is just one aspect of the drama that can be accommodated. But there is this other side of the episode that is too crucial a pain to bear.

    And this “other side” is when opprobrium of an individual, albeit Nigerian President, has become a reproach of a nation and its entire people.

    This certificate matter is now a national disgrace and embarrassment to all Nigerians at every material particular, not necessarily for the reason of its non-existent or otherwise, but more for the poor management of the President’s affairs by those going by the name of image-makers and media assistants.

    It is this group of people that have thrown our beloved president into this seemingly ocean of embarrassment. I will explain.

    The challenge of Muhammadu Buhari’s certificate started in the year 2014 as he was coming back into the race of contesting for the Nigerian presidency; a race he tried three times without success.

    We need to pay attention to this observation, to wit: each of those previous efforts, nothing was heard of Major General Muhammadu Buhari certificate not being available, missing or not being at the disposal of the Nigerian Electoral Body [INEC].

    It is very critical that we take judicial recognition of this fact.

    It is this same man coming back into the same race in 2014, under another mega political party formed – All Progressives Congress, going through the same process he had followed for 12 years that a hurricane of Certificate scandal landed upon.

    By the way, it is important also to note that Muhammadu Buhari had always contested the presidency; each time, under a different political party, starting with All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP], Congress for Progressive Change [CPC] and now All Progressive Congress [APC].

    The point being made here is not much to his lack of stability with one political party but the fact that there was nothing said about lack of certificate in all his previous attempts.

    Looking into the disparity compelling the revelation of lack of certificate may leave us with two conclusions.

    One, it could be that the Electoral Bodies that were responsible for the elections of those previous years General Muhammadu Buhari contested were not diligent enough to have detected that the man had no elementary certificate for the contest he entered into.

    Two, it might as well be that they knew that the retired General had no certificate but allowed the perfection of the system to be corruptly compromised, as similar casesoccurred from time to time in our land.

    A third likely scenario might also be in existence on this critical evaluation. And that is the likely presence of something thick, salient, valuable or most important, which uttered the rules of engagement for the 2015 election contests so drastically, that commanded additional and a more thorough scrutiny of the contenders’ certificates.

    Whichever and whatever the events of the time, General Muhammadu Buhari could not support presentation of his documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] but instead, swore an affidavit that the original of his Secondary School Leaving Certificate was with the Military Secretary [Army].

    Swearing affidavits has always been part of the political game in Nigeria – I mean all types of affidavits; from the normal to the abnormal, mentally balanced to the insane, even from the most ridiculous to what-have-you.

    There was one of our political leaders of blessed memory from Kaduna State who swore too many affidavits during his active days until the late Senator Abraham Adesanya; another great politician and an astute lawyer, later challenged this affidavit-swearing legend in the court of law about the authenticity of his age.

    It was proved judicially that one of the numerous affidavits the man sworn put his age two years younger than his first son while another affidavit was actually sworn on a Sunday. It is just the Nigerian way of doing things.

    Maybe, it was for this reason, albeit Nigerian way of doing things that two faults were found in the affidavit General Buhari submitted to INEC in 2014.

    The affidavit claimed that the original of his certificate or his credentials was with the Military – specifically with the Military Secretary [Army].

    It would have been very normal that photocopies of those credentials; the ones with the Military, attached to his forms and submitted to the INEC, more so when the originals were not available. But this was not to be.

    That became the first challenge of that affidavit and it would remain a major narrative as long as this issue subsists. The second being the fact that Major General Muhammadu Buhari, somewhere along the line of his beautiful military career, was a Military Secretary for the Army.

    It became a little curious ipso facto, that he, expectedly, would have sufficient knowledge of how such matter [the Military retaining certificates submitted for purpose of evaluation only and within a period, also only] is handled.

    It was for this reason that the Military High Command’s denouncing the claim of its former Commander-in-Chief on the certificate signaled such a monumental embarrassment to the respected General, and the fact that the matter might not be “dying” too soon.

    The denial of General Buhari [I am referring to him as General here because he had not become democratically elected President when this argument started in 2014]’s claim by the Military High Command amounted to “total disrespect and mark of absolute disloyalty to a Commander-in-Chief”, according to retired Brigadier General Mansur Muhammad Dan Ali [later to be appointed Minister of Defence by President Muhammadu Buhari]’s harsh judgment on every member of the then Military High Command.

    Could this total disrespect and absolute disloyalty be the reason why President Buhari threw out the entire Nigeria Defense Academy [NDA] Courses 26, 27 and 28 by picking his Chief of Army Staff [the current CAS] from Course 29, thereby wasting mercilessly such huge investment by Nigeria in training those officers to the rank of Major Generals? It is only time that shall answer this question.

    Let us fast-track the discussion forward a little.

    One or two facts were established while the episode of this certificate lasted between 2014 till 2015 when Muhammadu Buhari contested and won the election before being subsequently sworn-in as President on May 29, 2015.

    One of those facts was that the examination President Buhari wrote in 1961 was never conducted by the West Africa Examination Council [WAEC] but instead conducted by the prestigiousUniversity of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate[UCLES], now Cambridge Assessment. This fact was attested to in the past. It means that President Buhari was not a candidate of WAEC.

    It is a statement of fact that on January 22, 2015, WAEC; in replying to clarification on Buhari’s certificate, placed on them by MOVEONNIGERIA [a nebulous body that operated at that time] said that “we could not produce any CTC [certified true copy] on Mohammadu Buhari who attended the Provincial Secondary School in Katsina, Nigeria”.

    At the same period, the University of Cambridge confirmed that they did not use the “alphanumeric grading system in 1961 which appears in Buhari’s certificate”.

    Another fact that is in the public domain is that Muhammadu Buhari was enlisted into the Nigerian Army and had very successful career training all through, until he attained the rank of Major General and at every point of such numerous training he was awarded certificates.

    The much l know about the Army, as it operated then, tells me that Buhari would not have “majored” if he did not pass that significant examination that separates “the majors from the minors”.

    The minor ranks ends in “Captain” while the major rank starts from “Major”. Buhari wouldn’t have made it beyond the rank of Captain if he did not pass his examination at that point.

    There is yet additional fact on this matter and that is the Constitutional qualification of the person that wants to be President of Nigeria. Section 131 [d] of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, says a person “shall be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been educated up to at least school certificate level or itsequivalent”, in addition to the person being a citizen of Nigeria by birth; attained the age of forty years and being a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party”.

    Let us look at Section 318 [1] which added value to the issue of qualification to contest for the office of President.

    “School Certificate or its equivalent” means (a) a Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent, or Grade II Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or (b) education up to Secondary School Certificate level; or (c) Primary Six School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent and- (1) service in the public or private sector in the Federation in any capacity acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for a minimum of ten years, and (11) attendance at courses and training in such institutions as may be acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for periods totaling up to a minimum of one year, and (111) the ability to read, write, understand and communicate in the English language to the satisfaction of the Independent National Electoral Commission; and (1V) any other qualification acceptable by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

    All stated above by the Nigerian Constitution, no doubt, approved Buhari as qualified to run for the office of the Nigerian President. Then, where is the challenge therefore?

    The issue here is the clumsiness surrounding that Secondary School certificate purported to have been issued to him from the Kastina Provincial School. Let us look at this very carefully as they might help us to understand the noise about the issue.

    In 2015 [January 22] WAEC wrote to say it could not authenticate Buhari’s certificate issued in 1961 because the name “Mohammadu Buhari is not on our record” and Buhari never claimed to have been a candidate of WAEC but instead, of Cambridge [or even Oxford] and if this same WAEC sent its Registrar; Mr Iyi Uwadiae, on Friday, November 2, 2018, to present “ATTESTATION” [of the missing certification] to President Buhari in Abuja, then the truth about this matter has been buried somewhere along the journey of history.

    What is expected by the good people of Nigeria and the international Community is for those handling the President’s public image to come out clean in admitting a few things which had gone wrong in the past, apologize for their misbehavior and set the record straight.

    Because if the truth is to be told, the certificate scandal, as it stands today, is bordering more on offense of perjury [for affidavit sworn on oath] or fraud for obtaining attestation from WAEC that had earlier admitted of not having his record conducting.

    This sure will be a better option of removing Nigerians from this calamity of shame and saving the president from this bitter agony.

     

    Godwin Etakibuebu; a veteran Journalist, wrote from Lagos.

    godwin@thenewsguru.ng

    Mobile: +234-906 887-0014.

     

  • Buhari’s certificate saga, worst national embarrassment – PDP

    Buhari’s certificate saga, worst national embarrassment – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday said public demonstrations that the Presidency may have procured a forged West African Examination Council (WAEC) Certificate Attestation and Confirmation for President Muhammadu Buhari is a huge smear on the nation’s integrity and the Office of the President.

    The party, in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary, lamented that the development had turned the nation into a laughing stock in the West African sub-region and the entire global community, as our President is now being mentioned as beneficiary of a duplicitous act.

    “Most appalling is that Mr. President’s handlers have succeeded in dragging a reputable institution as WAEC into public disrepute and opprobrium, as Nigerians are quick to demonstrate marks of forgery in the attestation issued by the examination body.

    “A check on the attestation clearly shows that it does not have the “Original Certificate Number”, the key authentication feature in all genuine attestations by WAEC. Instead, a “non-applicable” is entered, indicating that the beneficiary does not have a certificate to be attested to, thus rendering the said attestation unauthenticated, fake and of no effect.
    “Also, the attestation is for West African Senior School Certificate, which President Buhari couldn’t have sat for, given that the Senior School Certificate Examination was established only in the late 1980s.

    “Does it not smack of high level scam that the same WAEC, which, in 2015, confirmed that it does not have records of President Buhari’s certificate, now had to send officials to present Mr. President with an attestation, that has no original certificate number?

    “Moreover, by WAEC rules, attestations are only issued in the case of missing or destroyed certificate. Why then should the exam body issue an attestation to President Buhari, whose certificate, he claimed are with the military and not missing or destroyed?

    “If not intended to circumvent the system and deceive Nigerians, why did President Buhari’s handlers chose to write to WAEC to issue an attestation when he, as the Commander-in-Chief, has the powers to direct the military to make available his credentials for all to see,” it said.

    According to PDP, “What the unauthenticated attestation has shown is that Mr. President does not have a WAEC certificate; we urge his handlers to humbly so admit and apologize to the nation, having exhausted all gimmicks to mislead Nigerians.

    “The Buhari Presidency should know that there is no way the truth can be suppressed. In fact, the current disagreement between the Presidency and WAEC over who initiated the attestation deal is also very revealing.
    Finally, while the PDP urges WAEC to redeem its image by handing over all its officials involved in the deal to the INTERPOL for investigation and prosecution, it also calls on the Nigeria Police to immediately invite Mr. President’s handlers for questioning over this huge national embarrassment.”

  • WAEC certificate: Buhari’s action shows he is hiding something – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday declared that the “fretting and jittering in the Presidency” whenever the issue of President Muhammadu Buhari’s academic certificate was mentioned was an indication that “Mr. President is morally burdened and ostensibly has something to hide.”
    PDP made the remark while responding to a statement credited to the Presidency alleging that those raising the certificate issue are sowing seeds of discord.
    The opposition party stated that Buhari’s handlers should “do the needful by placing the certificate in public domain instead of confronting and threatening Nigerians for demanding that Mr. President shows his certificate.”
    In a statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said, “The Buhari Presidency should know that their threats and confrontation cannot take away the fact that their principal’s certificate issue requires a personal responsibility and Mr. President cannot wish away this responsibility as he had always done on official matters.
    “If Mr. President has nothing to hide, he should end the confrontations by his presidency and show integrity by writing the military authorities to make public the said certificate.
    “In failing to do so, Mr. President is opening himself to public opprobrium particularly as millions of Nigerian youths see such as grossly undesirable of a leader, expected to set examples.
    “Moreover, President Buhari should know that Nigerians are aware that he is not the only retired military officer to aspire for elective office in the country and none of them brought the claims of their certificates being held by the military.
    “We, therefore, hold that Mr. President must show Nigerians his claimed school certificate upon which his nomination as a candidate is based. If he does not have this credential, he should make such declaration and stop the nebulous claim that his credentials are with the military.”