Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has stated that a secondary school certificate is sufficient for anyone aiming to contest elections or secure political appointments in Nigeria. His remarks came on Monday amid the controversy surrounding the academic credentials of Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.
An investigative report by Premium Times revealed that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has disowned the Bachelor of Science degree certificate claimed by Nnaji. The institution clarified that the minister did not complete his studies and was never issued a degree.
Furthermore, court documents presented before Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja indicated that Nnaji admitted that UNN never issued him a degree certificate. The minister has since filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the university, and several of its top officials.
The court has granted some of Nnaji’s requests, including the release of his academic transcript, but declined to restrain the defendants. The case has been adjourned to October 6 for further hearing.
In response to the ongoing situation, Sani took to his X handle to caution political aspirants against presenting false academic qualifications, emphasizing that such claims can lead to unnecessary scandals. He stated, “All you need to contest elections or for political appointment is a secondary school certificate. There is no way in the realm of politics one can claim any unearned qualifications without his or her political opponents digging into the matter. Some troubles are unnecessarily self-inflicted.”
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