The last on Candidate Buhari's educational Credentials may not have
been heard. A supposedly simple matter has now dragged on into 2015,
with no imminent sign of abating. It is really sad to note that in the
year 2015, in the 21st Century, We are dissipating energy on the
Certificates (Minimum of School Certificate Required) of the main
opposition Presidential Candidate. Time that should have been used to
discuss important issues before the Elections is now being needlessly
wasted on this Certificate Controversy. It can now be rightly described
as the Buhari Certificate "gate" Scandal.
Late last year, when a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode
expressed serious reservations on the educational qualifications of
Candidate Buhari, some thought Femi Fani-Kayode threw a needless punch,
but, alas, it is increasingly becoming clear that, indeed, Femi
Fani-Kayode threw the right punches.
Candidate Buhari is described by Friends as an honest and
straight-forward Man. Fair enough! But why the difficulty in producing
his Certificates? Why the affidavit? He stated on the said affidavit
that his Certificates are with the Secretary of the Military Board. But
wait a minute.... is the Military board inaccessible? Is the Military
board located in the evil forest? It baffles my imaginations how the so
called honest man cannot produce his Certificates without controversies.
It is his responsibility to produce his Certificates. This is the best
opportunity to exhibit the honesty that has been ascribed to him by his
followers. If he needs to apply to the Military to get it, let him do so
without further delay.
Furthermore, the excuse tendered by some that he has contested thrice
previously, and as such, INEC should have his Certificates, is totally
flawed and unacceptable. This argument does not hold water. The onus is
on him to produce his Certificates. For instance, if one is applying for
employment in an Organisation, the person would be expected to complete
fresh application form and attach supporting documents, regardless of
the number of times the said applicant had applied in the past. Imagine a
scenario where an applicant refuses to tender fresh documents, on the
excuse that he had applied for work in the Organisation previously! This
is honestly a lame excuse. Being a regular applicant does not exempt
one from tendering one's Credentials each time one applies. Unless, of
course, if there is a missing link somewhere. I expect Prof Osibajo,
with his legal background, to understand this more than anybody.
Nigerians have every right to demand to see Candidate Buhari's
Certificate. It is a legitimate demand. No reasonable employer gives job
to a Candidate without seeing and scrutinizing the Credentials of the
Candidate.
Similarly, the explanation given by Buhari's Media team has even generated more questions than answers.
According to the Head, Media and Publicity of Buhari Support Organisation, BSO, and Dr Chidia Maduekwe....
“There should be no iota of doubt about General Mohammadu Buhari’s
qualification. The records are there. He was not just a school prefect
but a Head Boy. In the ages past, you cannot enter the military school
if there is any questionable mark about your school certificate or WAEC
result as it were. “So, that is clear. Your entry must be on acceptable
pass mark before going to the military academy. Of course, the records
are there both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria for anybody to cross
check. We thank God we now live in the age of online. “You can Google
everything. I mean, he couldn’t have run the presidential election for
three times…and each time his documentation must be assessed by INEC.
But now is the first time they are coming up with that."-(Source: Vanguard Nigeria, 30th December 2014 Edition)
The above statement from Dr Maduekwe is a direct insult on the
collective intelligence of Nigerians. We don't have to Google anything.
Buhari and his Media outfit should do the googling and tell us what they
googled out. Why write a long essay over a simple matter? This is
2015. Even if he tendered the documents in 2003, he still has to do same
again. In this 2015, there is a preponderance of opinion that we need
credible Elections .However; the first step towards credible Election is
filing the right documents as enshrined in the Constitution.
It is also pertinent to highlight that this is a constitutional
requirement for eligibility to stand for Election. So it has to be
fulfilled to the latter. There are no short cuts. I am aware that even
when a Certificate is lost or stolen, there is a way to go about it.
Candidate Buhari and his team should as a matter of urgency, approach
the so called military board, and retrieve his Certificates. The sworn
affidavit he tendered, in my opinion, is not a substitute, and
therefore, grossly inadequate for this purpose. His response through the
Head of his Media outfit does not help matters at all. It has fuelled a
genuine suspicion that there is a question mark somewhere. INEC and
Nigerians shouldn't be googling any Candidate's Credentials. Pa Buhari
and his team, should dig out the missing Certificates, print out and
tender for scrutiny by all. Dr Maduekwe also, either by omission or
commission, failed to tell us what type of Certificates Candidate Buhari
holds. Is it a First School Leaving Certificate, or GCE, or HND/First
Degree? Even the affidavit from Candidate Buhari failed to mention in
specifics, what Certificates are with the Secretary of the so called
Military Board. Many questions keep cropping up... Where is the
Military board located? Is the Secretary not accessible by Sea, Air and
land? What Certificates are there? Has he got photocopies of the said
Certificates for validation? What are General Buhari's educational
qualifications?
As if the poor explanation given by Dr Maduekwe was not enough,
another right hand Man of Buhari, Dr Tunji Abayomi, who was a member of
the APC Presidential Screening Committee that certified Buhari eligible
to run, tendered a more damaging defence for Candidate Buhari and the
mystery Certificates. According to Dr Abayomi....
“While a certificate may unequivocally show that a contestant has been
educated up to at least School Certificate level, his education without a
certificate may show, again unequivocally that he has been educated up
to the equivalent of School Certificate level.“For example, assuming A
is the best student in Ajuwa Grammar School, Okeagbe, and Akoko. Now on
the very day before the commencement of the West African School
Certificate Examination, he sexually harassed the daughter of the
English teacher as a result of which he was dismissed, will A be said
not to have met the education qualification of section 131(d) of the
constitution?
Hmmm... My people, something is not right somewhere. According to the
submission above by Dr Abayomi, you don't even have to write your Exams
to be deemed to have achieved a School Certificate. So if one attends
the University for four years and never wrote his exams, can he be
classified as a graduate? Please Dr Abayomi and Co, School attendance is
one thing, possessing a Certificate is another. In other words, is Dr
Abayomi implying that Candidate Buhari attended Secondary School, but
came out with zero Certificates? This is a matter that must not be swept
under the carpet; Nigerians should be given the opportunity to see this
Certificate. Too much dodgy explanations over a simple matter.
To be specific, the 1999 Constitution, Section 131, Chapter VI, part 1 clearly enshrined the followings:
131. A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if -
(a) He is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;
(b) He has attained the age of forty years;
(c) He is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and
(d) He has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
But to be honest, what is the value of a School Certificate in
Contemporary Nigeria? A typical School Certificate holder would
definitely struggle to grasp the complex concepts of governance,
especially at the Presidential level. This should be amended before
2019. Many School leavers today can hardly write legibly. Therefore, the
National Assembly should consider amending this provision, the minimum
requirement for future Elections, for the office of the President,
should be a HND/First Degree or equivalent. I don't think this will be
inappropriate.
It is therefore very sad to see a Presidential Candidate in Nigeria, in
the 21st Century, struggling to present his Primary and Secondary
School Certificates. It is a big shame!
All our allies have decently educated People piloting their affairs.
They have transparent qualifications. Just consider our top four allies.
1. Ghana; President John Mahama, BA History, PGD Social Psychology
2. USA; President Obama, Harvard Trained Lawyer
3. U.K; David Cameron, holds a first Class Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford
4. France; President, graduated from the prestigious ENA University
Would Candidate Buhari fit into the group above without hiccups? Your guess is as good as mine!
Imagine Candidate Buhari in a Conference with the Camerons and the Obamas? Hmmm... This is topic for another day.
Of course not every leader attended a University, but there is no excuse not to present the minimum requirements.
Pa Buhari (72) shouldn't have to go through this national
embarrassment. APC should have addressed this through the internal
screening process. Can any APC leader swear to have seen Buhari's
Credentials? Had they done their homework well, they would have saved
Buhari and everyone from this ugly situation. The likes of Adams
Oshiomole, Fashola should have been put forward. These are younger men
with fresh ideas, and who have delivered top class leadership in their
States. Even the ever chorused fight against corruption cannot be
successfully fought, unless one has got the necessary skills and
knowledge relevant in the 21st century. Nigeria and the World have moved
on since 1985 when Buhari was last in power.
Good intentions may not be enough in this present situation. Please
Candidate Buhari; present your Certificates, at least for the sake of
your integrity and reputation.
Again, largely out of curiosity, I want ask Candidate Buhari's Media
men to educate us on what Buhari has done in terms of personal
development and education since he left office nearly 30 years ago. This
is very important because we live in a dynamic world. Knowledge that is
not updated becomes outdated. I believe the example of General Yakubu
suffices here. On the 29th of July 1975, Gowon was overthrown in a
bloodless Coup led by Murtala Mohammed. Gowon was away in Kampala,
Uganda, attending an OAU meeting. Gowon chose not to return to Nigeria,
but flew straight to the United Kingdom. On arrival he enrolled straight
at the Warwick University, and studied Political Science. Gowon knew
the importance of personal development. He also knew his weaknesses,
especially his educational background. Gowon's educational disadvantage
was a source of international embarrassment, especially at the Aburi
Conference that took place in January 1967. It was widely reported that
Gowon couldn't withstand the grammatical "bombardments" from the Oxford
educated Ojukwu. He ended up agreeing to a deal he didn't understand
the implications. It was when he arrived Lagos that the Permanent
Secretaries explained the implications of the deal. He had no option
than to renege. But today, credit to his tenacity of purpose, he has
developed himself after graduating from the Warwick University. He can
face Ojukwu squarely now, if the latter were to be alive, without losing
grounds. That is what Education does. It empowers. It develops. It
gives confidence. Our Elder Statesman Buhari, if he valued education,
should have developed himself by now to a level where no one would be
debating his Primary Six and Secondary School Certificates. He needs to
emulate Yakubu Gowon.
Also, and interestingly, former head of State, General Olusegun
Obasanjo, has enrolled in the Open University to Study Religion. If
Obasanjo, who is older than Buhari in age, and was his superior officer
in the army, could go back to School in pursuit of knowledge, then
Buhari should have done same by now. He definitely cannot fit in without
the necessary skills and competencies. Nigeria of today is definitely
different from the Nigeria of 1985.
In conclusion, with due respect to Pa Buhari, I think he should either
present his Certificates, or go back to School, it is never too late to
get things right. If his senior Colleagues, Gowon and Obasanjo, could do
it, he too can do it. There is no age benchmark for acquiring
knowledge. Who knows... he might also be a Candidate come 2019, he will
only be 76, and would be asked again to present his Certificates.
Can he be campaigning without presenting his Certificates? Well let's
wait and see. One thing is certain, no matter what anybody thinks about
it, APC has done Jonathan a huge favour by putting Pa Buhari forward.
The Buhari Certificate "gate" Controversy has taken a big toll on his
integrity, and by logical conclusion, has diminished his electoral
chances.
We are watching the unfolding drama.
God bless Nigeria...
You can follow the writer on twitter @edokeiyi
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