There was this story we were told in the University of an Indian Surgeon who was recruited by the Kwara State government then to work in the state hospital.
This surgeon was so good in performing surgery that virtually all the surgeries he had performed were successful. Unfortunately as fate would have it, the government of the then governor Alhaji Adamu Attah decided to take a nominal roll of all the Kwara State government employees and their qualifications to flush out ghost workers and those with fake certificate. It was then it was discovered that the super surgeon Indian doctor did not go to any medical school in India. He was actually a theatre attendant for 25 years in a teaching hospital in India. When there was the craze by Northern Nigerian states to recruit Indian doctors, teachers and sundry in the late 1970s and 1980s, the super surgeon capitalised on that and was recruited as a “doctor/surgeon” by Kwara State government.
When his case came to the public domain, the story was told that his numerous patients on whom he performed successful surgery appealed to the government to allow him continue on the job. Unfortunately the law had to take its course. The super surgeon was dismissed and repatriated back to India.
People do not doubt the fact that Major General Muhammadu Buhari rose through the ranks and became a Major General in the Nigeria Army. He had held prominent positions of authority including being Military Head of State.
The clear difference between the military regimes and democracy is the fact that while the military uses force and obey the last order, democracy is a game of appeal and the voters have the last say. The voters are the new employers of political office seekers. That is why the politicians must go out to campaign and appeal to us the voters and we shall make our choice of the better if not the best brand. The beauty of politics is that it is played according to the rules and laws in place.
The rules are changed and modified from time to time to suit the prevailing situations.
General Buhari had contested the presidential elections three times in the past ostensibly unsuccessful under different rules.
The 2010 Electoral Act as amended seems to have upped the cut off marks for the 2015 presidential election beyond the General’s previous qualifications that he used in 2003, 2007 and even 2011. The law seems a bad law for him and his APC. But you see, the law is the law and most be applied.
It is really a great thing of interest to Nigerians and the international community to witness General Buhari who is campaigning on the mantra of fighting corruption to start on false footing of forging his certificates and qualifications.
We expected General Buhari to have stood on one defence on this his certificate issue.
In his affidavit submitted to INEC, General said his documents were with the Military Secretary Board. While the Nigerian Military has since come out to say they are never in possession of General Buhari’s certificates.
In his second defence in his well publicised press conference, General Buhari had this to say: – “I have always assumed that my credentials were with the military but now we are being told that they do not have my documents in their custody.” Haba our General, thirty years after you left the service of the Nigerian Army, you still left your certificates with the Army? Even the original certificates at that? What documents did you use to apply for the PTF job then?
The “General” then said that his former secondary school will release his certificate on his behalf. True to type, Ministry of Education Katsina State through one government college Katsina released a statement of result for one “Mohamed Buhari” ostensibly on behalf of General Mohammadu Buhari as his certificate. Surely the name Mohamed can never be the same with Mohammadu. Something is wrong somewhere and must be corrected.
Finally in his third defense, General Buhari said his certificates are with INEC. From the above scenario, Buhari’s certificate scandal is becoming messier by the day.
The major issues for determination in the Buhari certificate fraud are that:
1. Did General Buhari meet the requisite requirement for joining the army at the time?
2. Now that he had lied on oath that his certificates were with Army, thirty years after he had left the army. Is it possible for a former employee to leave his/her original certificates with his former employer and even for thirty years? What does the Nigerian law on perjury say?
3. As somebody seeking to be the president of Nigeria, can he really fight corruption while being dishonest as to his qualifications?
4. What will be the standing of Nigeria in the eyes of comity of nations with a fraudulent and dishonest person as their president?
I leave it in the domain of the public to debate this issues and other matters as it relates to the Major General Muhammadu (Mohamed) Buhari certificate forgery scandal.
Ndiameeh Babangida Babreek (ndidi90call@gmail.com)
