Allwell Onyesoh, the senator representing Rivers east, on
Monday, questioned Bello Muhammad, a ministerial nominee over his academic
certificates.
The senators during the special plenary session screened the
ministerial nominees whose names were sent to the upper legislative chamber
last week by President Bola Tinubu.
After introducing himself and speaking about his experience,
senators began asking Muhammad questions.
Onyesoh questioned Muhammed, who is from Sokoto, over his
senior secondary school certificate examination (SSCE) result, saying from the
credentials submitted, the nominee only has two credits
“I’ve been looking
for your school certificate. I saw one. You sat for five subjects with (but you
have) two credits,” Onyesoh said
“I don’t know how. I want to imagine that you still have
another (SSCE result) to bring. If not, I would want you to explain how you got
into university with that (two credits).”
In response, Muhammed told the lawmakers that he has other
SSCE results in which he “passed all” subjects, adding that he did not attach them
to his CV.
“I have other
secondary school results which I have all passed. That is not attached to my CV
because we are talking of a secondary school certificate,” he said.
“I want to remind the distinguished senator which I know he
very much knows that with the qualification of secondary school certificate as
enshrined in the constitution, we can stand for an election up to the
presidential election.”
“So, I didn’t bother you with such certificates. But I know
those are the qualifications for that.”
‘YOU CAN’T CONCEAL
YOUR CERTIFICATES’
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, interrupted him, noting
that there is a difference between standing for an election and being nominated
to serve as a minister.
“You are saying that you chose what to give to the senate.
You chose the qualification to bring before the senate because of the
constitutional provision that a secondary school certificate is what is
required to stand for election,” Akpabio said.
“You’re not coming to stand for election, you’re coming to
be a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, which are the other
certificates you concealed? Which are the other certificates you did not put in
your CV?”
But Muhammed explained further that the result he submitted
to the red chamber is his first in which he passed with only two credits,
noting that there are other SSCEs he sat and made all subjects.
“I sat for another
examination and I have passed but I don’t want to attach another
qualification,” he said.
Lawmakers shouted in disagreement after his comments,
leading to rowdiness in the chamber.
In an attempt to maintain decorum, Akpabio asked Muhammed to
submit all his certificates to the clerk.
He said all nominees must present all their certificates in
totality, “including the number of children they have” and the number of
houses”.
The senate president said Nigerians have a right to know the
detail of their ministerial nominees.
“So, you don’t choose and pick,” he said.
Similarly, the senators also grilled Joseph Utsev, a nominee
from Benue, over what appeared to be a discrepancy in his biodata.
While addressing the lawmakers, Utsev said he was born in
Benue on December 2, 1980, and attended the University of Agriculture, Makurdi,
where he studied civil engineering and graduated in 2004.
The nominee said he completed the mandatory one-year
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kaduna in 2006. And then proceeded to
obtain his master’s degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2007, and
later earned his doctorate from the same university in 2011.
However, Tokunbo Abiru, senator representing Lagos east
senatorial district, requested Utsev to clarify his biodata.
“You graduated in 2004 meaning that you probably would have
spent nine years for your first degree. I just need you to clarify those data
starting from primary school, while it took you that long to get your first
degree despite the academic brilliance you have exhibited,” Abiru asked the
nominee.
Utsev explained that there is a discrepancy in his biodata,
adding that he was also affected by prolonged ASUU strikes.
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