Public Officials with Forged Certificates in Nigeria and the Hypocrites Among Us

It is common practice among Nigerians to point accusing fingers at anyone caught in the act of an immoral act or crime and they also often condemn, mob and lynch suspects without any evidence of being guilty of any crime.

So, be careful before you join Nigerians in public accusation and condemnation of anyone based on mere allegations, because false accusations and unfounded allegations are common in Nigeria. The best way to rubbish and tarnish the public reputation of a competitor or an enemy in Nigeria is to lie and spread false rumours against the person.

The cases of allegations of forged certificates are not new in Nigerian government since the disgrace of Alhaji Ibrahim Salisu Buhari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1999, whose academic degree from the University of Toronto was false. But I can bet that he was not the only one with forged certificates in public office, but others cannot be disgraced until they are caught.

Of course the legions of Nigerians with fake educational qualifications are actually the millions of youths who have made cheating in academic and professional exams common practice. And there are thousands who also plagiarize theses and have gone ahead to claim first class and second class upper and lower degrees and diplomas and using them to secure dream jobs. But their incompetence in public sector or private sector expose their fraud.

We see them every working day in the offices in Nigeria.

Majority of them cannot defend their qualifications.

You see someone with MBA who cannot write an ordinary executive summary of a project.

You see another one who cannot even express herself in simple English.

I have seen women in the foreign service of Nigeria with certificates they got through the back door and by hired cheats.

But these hypocrites are among those living in denial of their own corruption and joining in the open accusation of Mrs. Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation.

~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, prize winning writer and author of "In the House of Dogs", "The Prophet Lied" and other books.

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