FG demands for Melaye’s academic records from ABU

Senator Melaye Dino

The certificate forgery case against Senator Dino Melaye has taken another dimension as the federal government is set to venture into the case by investigating the accusations against the senator.

Senator Melaye’s woe started on Monday, March 20, 2017, following an online news media, Sahara Reporters, claimed that the senator did not graduate from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna state for his first degree, against his claim that he studied geography in the prestigious institute.

However the senator has refuted claims that he was not a graduate as false, ABU is yet to make an official statement pertaining the issue.

Today, the federal government has formally demanded that the authority of university supply the academic details of the senator, to shed light on the controversy over his completion of his degree programme in geography at the university.

The Guardian said that a top official of ABU, Zaria, who beseeched privacy, said the government had demanded the instant release of the academic chronicles of Senator Dino Melaye and that the university was already gathering the records for release soon.

The official said that nobody is in doubt if Senator Melaye attended ABU, but what was in debate was whether the politician completed his course of study.

He said: "The university will make the relevant information available, to the best of my knowledge, the Senator was on this campus and read a course of study for which I think he graduated between 1997 and 1998 as the case may be.

“These details can always be found in the list of graduating students of Geography in either of those years as the case may be, but for me, I think he ran a programme and I should think he successfully ended up in either of those years I mentioned.”

Also, a student union government (SUG) official activist and departmental mate of Senator Melaye, who also seek anonymity, said he and the senator were officials of the national union of geography students at ABU.

“While Dino was the National President of Geography Department, I was the Assistant Secretary General, I presided over his impeachment during the controversy leading to his ousting from that office.

“Let me tell you, Dino was a radical student activist in campus. I will give that to him and at a point he was confrontational to the establishment in the University. And at last, the institution did everything possible to bring him close and later became the eyes of the authority on campus,” he said.

He add: "I can attest that Senator Dino actually completed a course of study in Geography in 1998; whether he had carry-over in some courses that were later waved is what I cannot say.”

“I think Dino later graduated from ABU, Zaria with a Third class or Pass. I am sure of that. Let anybody not deceive you that he did not study or graduate in ABU. Go and find out, he did. He is stubborn, that I will give to him. And I think that is what is still trailing him in the Senate,” he said.

“The Senator and I were in Geography Department and two of us were also officials of the National Union of Geography Students at ABU.”

Recall that as soon as the news on Melaye’s certificate scandal pop up, President Muhammadu Buhari showed his concern over the spread of examination malpractices and fake certificates virus in the country.

President Buhari also condemned the rate at which public servants and individuals of questionable wealth were being celebrated with alumni recognitions, given honorary degrees, chieftaincy titles and even higher religious titles

Buhari stated that cheating in examination and obtaining of fake certificates among Nigerians had become a normalcy due to collapse of values in the society.