It never ceased to amaze me our penchant to frivolities, trivialities and the feebleness of the purported background checks that was done on people before they assumed position of authority by our security agencies otherwise, the macabre dance of shame over the certificate of Senator Dino Melaye wouldn’t have arise.
What are the expected qualifications of a senator? Is Dino Melaye qualified to be in the Senate or not? To what end is this controversy all about? The country has serious security and developmental issues it’s grappling with, will the shaming or elevation of Melaye have any impact on these?
Rather than bamboozle his way with litigation and rascality, Senator Dino Melaye can put the record straight by providing the needed proofs. It is understandable the position of Ahmadu Bełlo University, ABU that it will not release information on the academic certificate Dino Melaye, the All Progressives Congress senator representing Kogi West District. The highly revered institution does not want to be mired in politics. The Senate could have promptly written to ABU for clarification rather than subject us to this charade.
Dino, is a strong character, loquacious and belligerent individual, I believe a man of his caliber should know how better to handle things, when to respond with cool-headedness than being brash, insulting and boastful. He had said: “I and here to respond to the issue raised by the Boko Haram suspect (and) senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Ali Ndume. I want to say, to me, it is a welcome development. Democracy is about investigation and no senator is above investigation. To me, it is a welcome development and it will finally clear the air on all the malicious and vindictive allegations.
“To say that I did not graduate from ABU is to say that I am not a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. ABU is a very prestigious university in this country and it is not possible for one to be running a master’s programme in the university when one did not graduate from a university. I have successfully completed one and I am doing the second one.
“I want to announce that this is the eighth degree that I am pursuing. I am also a graduate of University of Abuja, where I did Masters in Policy Analysis. I am a graduate of London School of Economics and Political Science. I am also a graduate of Harvard University. The course I am pursuing now will make it my eighth degree.”
It has now emerged that both the London School of Economic and Political Science, and the Harvard University have denied that he ever graduated from them. According to Sahara Reporters however, the LSE denied that the Melaye attended the institution. Candy Gibson who is the senior media relations officer at the institution said: “We have checked our records and can find no evidence of Dino Melaye having any degree qualification from the London School of Economics and Political Science.”
Harvard on its part only confirmed that he did a week course with them. And that he never obtained a degree from them. What is this entire hullabaloo all about? Is Dino lying with both sides of his mouth or somebody is bent to bring him down?
