Forgery: Sack Adesoun, Others Now – HURIWA

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – The Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, and other members of his cabinet accused of certificate forgery.
The association also called on the president to sack government officials accused of forgery, including Mr. Obono Obla, his senior Special Assistant who was accused of forging his West African Examination Certificate.
Condemning the silence of President Buhari on the damaging allegations, HURIWA said accommodating persons with questionable academic credentials will rubbish the national policy on education, constitutionally enshrined in Section 18 (1), which emphasizes merit and honesty at all times.
In a statement signed by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group said, “The current administration must desist from polluting the international image of Nigeria by toleration many persons of questionable academic credentials who are working in the federal government of Nigeria when there are millions of highly qualified Nigerians from diverse fields searching frantically for employments.
“The silence of the current government to the cacophony of allegations of certificate forgery involving top rated government officials shows that the corporate image of the country is imperiled and if this silence and failure to act persists, then the rest of the world will see Nigeria as a country of certificate forgers.
“Corruption also includes such crime like forgery of academic credentials which runs contrary to section 15 (5) of the constitution which makes it obligatory that government must abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
HURIWA reminded Buhari that the Black’s law dictionary clearly identified certificate forgery as a grave criminal offence and as a specie of fraud even as the Rights group wondered why a government that makes heavy weather of its anti-corruption campaign is the same that accommodates top officials with highly questionable academic credentials.
The group told Buhari that “both the Criminal and Penal Codes that apply in the southern and northern parts of Nigeria prohibit forgery, citing Sections 463 of the Criminal Code which provides for three years imprisonment for forgery while sections 362 to 364 of the Penal Code deal with forgery with punishment of up to 14 years imprisonment with option of fine or both.”