Dino Melaye’s Bachelor of Arts certificate fake - says ABU

Senator Dino Melaye

The qualification outrage surrounding Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, has excavated.

According to Punch, the documents it obtained through meticulous and comprehensive investigations revealed that the beleaguered senator has a Bachelor of Arts certificate in Geography from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state.

The lawmaker, aside from bagging a third class, also holds a diploma certificate from the University of Jos.

However, the senator only possesses a statement of results from ABU. And aside that, checks at the university disclosed that it only offers B.Sc. Geography and not B.A. Geography as echoed on Melaye’s statement of results.

It was reported that Melaye’s woe started on Monday, March 20, 2017 when an online news outlet, Sahara Reporters, in a tweet reported that the senator did not graduate from ABU for his first degree, against his assertion that he studied Geography in the prestigious university.

Sahara reporter also alleged that Melaye, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, enticed his Head of Department, who helped him to forge his record.

In a successions of tweets via its Twitter handle, @SaharaReporters, the online media outfit said some lecturers in the Geography Department maintained that Melaye did not graduate from the department and that his name was not on the graduation list because he failed five core courses.

After the report, Melaye dismissed the accusations, daring the Sahara reporters to sue him if it had true evidence to back its claims.

Melaye took to his twitter page and wrote, “SaharaReporters, please sue me and ABU if it is true that I did not graduate from Zaria. Tell Magu (EFCC Chairman) to arrest and prosecute me.”

Melaye also bragged that he was presently a student in ABU racing for his seventh degree.

He said: “Go round all the UNIS (universities) I attended in digging more.”

A day following the news broke, the senator, while speaking on the floor of the Senate, also addressed himself as an authentic graduate of ABU.

In the meantime, Punch said that when it contacted ABU to verify the contradictory information, the university’s Information Officer, Adamu Mohammed, assured that the institution would come out with its position on Wednesday, March 22, which it’s yet to do as of the time of filing this report.

Amidst the hullabaloo, documents acquired by Saturday Punch show that the senator had a statement of results with the logo of ABU.

The statement of results read: “This is to certify that Daniel Jonah Melaye having completed an approved course of study and passed the prescribed examinations as, under the authority of the Senate been awarded the Bachelor of Arts (Geography) with Third Class honours.”

The statement, released by the Office of the Registrar, Academic Office and dated February 3, 2000, was signed by B.B. Mshelthlila.

However, there are certain inconsistencies that beg for more explanations. For example, in the statement of results, his name was given as ‘Daniel Jonah MELAYE.’

Research, however, on https://abu.edu.ng/ show that Geography is in the Faculty of Science and not the Faculty of Arts as reproduced in the statement of results.

Also, in the legislator’s NYSC discharge certificate, which was dated July 8, 2001, his name read ‘Melaye Daniel’ and not Daniel Jonah as presented in the statement of results.

As well, in the diploma certificate given to him by the University of Jos on August 3, 2006, the name on it reads “Daniel Dino Melaye.”

Melaye was issued an Advanced Diploma certificate in Law, Security and Conflict Resolution. He completed the course with ‘Lower Credit’ on August 3, 2006.

Though, in his Senior School Certificate in 1992, his name read ‘Melaiye Daniel Jonah O.’ with Melaye being incorrectly spelt.