7 Nigerian public office holders that have been accused of forging certificates

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun may be facing a disgraceful ouster from that position if she is found guilty of accusation that she forged her NYSC exemption certificate.

A Premium Times report over the weekend had alleged that Adeosun’s certificate was fake and she had become a victim of blackmail at the hands of lawmakers who were aware of the forgery.

Neither the minister nor her employers have responded to the allegation.

Adeosun, however, is not the only public office holder who has found herself enmeshed in such grievous accusation.

Here are seven other public office holders who have been accused of forging certificates:

President Muhammadu Buhari

As Buhari sought to become a democratically elected president, allegations that he forged his WAEC certificate almost derailed his campaign.

His claim that his credentials were in the army’s possession was also debunked by the military, but the allegations were subsequently dismissed as mere mischief by the opposition party.

Stella Oduah

The former Aviation Minister had one too many public mishaps.

On one of such occasions, she claimed to have obtained an MBA from St. Paul’s College, a United States school which was found to have never had a Masters’ programme. She claimed to have obtained the degree in the same year in which she was serving in the National Youth Service Corps in the country, thereby giving the impression that she had been in Nigeria and the United States at the same time.

She also claimed to have been honoured with a PhD by another institution which doesn’t exist.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Before Tinubu played a huge part in ensuring Buhari’s dream of being a democratically elected President was actualised, the political stalwart had been in the middle of fake certificate scandals.

Tinubu’s claims to have attended St. Paul’s School, Aroloya, Lagos, as well as Government College, Ibadan between 1965 and 1968, were alleged to be false.

A Federal High Court later dismissed an application seeking to compel the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to investigate the then Lagos State Governor for alleged certificate forgery.

He, along with a few others, was also accused of paying Irish International University, a phoney University in England that had been on Government blacklist since 2005, for an honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration in 2007.

Evan Enwerem

Enwerem, a former Senate President, was accused by colleagues in the Senate, allegedly led by Senator Chuba Okadigbo, of using a fake name and falsifying academic records.

He did not hold the position for long as a result of the forgery and perjury scandal.

Salisu Buhari

Buhari’s claim that he graduated from Toronto University was reported to be false. Findings by national publications claimed the then speaker of the House of Representatives had not even attended the university, talk less of graduating.

Though Buhari kicked and maintained his stance, an official of the institution had confirmed that his name was not found in the records.

Buhari had also claimed that he completed his National Youth Service at Standard Construction in Kano, which was also proved untrue. Again, his name could not be found in the list of those who completed the scheme.

Gabriel Suswam

The Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, was accused of forging his WAEC certificate, with which he was purportedly admitted to the University of Lagos to study law.

Following the allegations, Suswam wrote to WAEC in 2005, claiming that his certificate was missing. He later claimed WAEC sent him a replacement for his lost certificate.

Dino Melaye

The dramatic Senator was accused of lying on his claim that he graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, where he claimed to have bagged a first degree in Geography.

His claim that he obtained degrees from Harvard University was also debunked in a statement from the institution’s Registrar’s office, noting that Melaye was not a graduate of the institution but only completed a week-long leadership seminar in November 2016.