As stakeholders highlight US courts verdicts on the legal tussle over the authenticity of President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University (CSU) certificate as metaphor for judiciary, they also express concerns about the implication of the revelations on the image of the country.
The release of the academic records of President Bola Tinubu to the counsel of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by the Chicago State University (CSU), has continued to elicit diverse reactions from eminent Nigerians. While some described the development as a dent on the international image of the country, others opined that the release of the documents has changed nothing and only reinforces the President’s earlier positions that he committed no crime.
Atiku had requested the documents to back up his allegation of forgery of CSU certificate against Tinubu. Tinubu had, through his lawyers, fought hard to prevent the university from releasing his academic credentials. But Nancy Maldonado, the US District Judge, had on Monday ordered the university to honour Magistrate Judge Gilbert’s order to release the documents to Atiku within 48 hours, which the university has complied with.
Reacting to the development, an International Relations expert, Dr Amos Adeniran told The Guardian that the whole issue would impact negatively on the image of the country, noting that many countries and foreign investors will be circumspect in dealing with Nigeria henceforth.
According to him, “Whatever happens in the Supreme Court, Nigeria’s image has been battered and the consequences will not be palatable. Already, carrying the Nigerian International Passport makes many foreigners disrespect you. Now, imagine how Nigerians will be treated abroad. This is a country looking for foreign investors and collaboration with many countries. The issue here goes beyond legal implications, we are losing a moral battle as a country.”
He advised President Tinubu to summon courage and come clean on all controversies surrounding his certificates. Speaking in the same vein, Comrade James Onyedika, said it is unfortunate that Nigerian leaders have decided to go and wash their dirty linen in the US without considering the implications of their actions on the country’s image.
He noted that the decision of the US court will add a new twist to the legal battle going on at the Supreme Court. Onyedika said: “There is a great lesson for our leaders and the judiciary to learn from what is going on. People deserve justice and the right to know the truth. The matter goes beyond politicians fighting over the election, but Nigerians have been subjected to ridicule at International level and the implication will rub off on all negatively.
Farooq Kperogi, a US-based Professor, in analysing the documents, noted that while some were authentic, parts of it were forged. In a piece titled, ‘6 Major findings about Tinubu from the CSU documents,’ Kperogi wrote, “Tinubu obviously identified as a man throughout the two years he studied at the school. A Nigerian CSU graduate and classmate of Tinubu’s swore under oath that Tinubu ran for and won election as president of CSU’s accounting students’ association. His yearbook photo from 1979 also clearly showed a younger version of Tinubu.”
Through his lawyers, Atiku sought for the example of a CSU diploma issued in 1979; Tinubu’s diploma issued in 1979; example of a CSU diploma that “contains the same font, seal, signatures and wording” as Tinubu’s diploma issued in June 1979 and CSU documents certified and produced by Jamar Orr, an associate general counsel at CSU at the time.
Former National vice chairman of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC), Prince Hilliard Eta, however, believes there is no cause for alarm over the release of Tinubu’s credentials to Atiku.
In a chat with The Guardian, he maintained that there is nothing impactful about the findings on the certificate saga that could affect the president’s mandate.
He said: “There is absolutely no cause for alarm. Nothing is going to happen. They have not brought any revelation to approach the Supreme Court with that is so impactful and such that the supreme Court would now allow for fresh evidence.
“There is absolutely nothing to fear. What is it that would make for the president to be removed? The certificate released to them is the same certificate the president submitted to INEC. So, what is it that we are afraid of?
“One thing that they did not know is that the President lost his certificate and applied to the school. So, the signature of the persons who signed the certificate in 1979 and now when Tinubu applied for a replacement of his lost certificate would be different. The earlier they get this into their brain, the better.
The Cross River-born politician described Atiku’s resolve to approach the CSU for the release of a copy of Tinubu’ s certificate as not only an exercise in futility, but disgraceful and unpatriotic.
According to him: “What has played out is sheer desperation of Atiku. Nothing is too much for Atiku to do in his attempt to be President of Nigeria, whether he rubbishes the name of Nigeria or not, it does not matter to him, which is quite sad. Politicians must be able to draw a line between aspirations and national interests.
“The level of patriotism politicians are displaying on the issue of Nigeria is very appalling and abysmal. I am a patriot. I love this country passionately. And when people drag this country in a manner Atiku has dragged it, is very disheartening. I would have wished that he would confine his aspiration within the ambit of reason and patriotism.”
One of the former aides of the President, Bayo Onanuga posted on his X handle that “No smoking gun found by Atiku in Chicago’s Lake Michigan as Chicago State University finds certificates matching President Tinubu’s replacement certificate submitted to INEC.”
Speaking on the issue, a Port Harcourt-based lawyer, Chief Festus Oguche, said that President Tinubu’s certificate saga and the issues surrounding it, is a huge embarrassment that definitely rubs off on national integrity.
He said: “For me, I consider the emerging issues culminating in the decisions of the two US courts as avoidable if serious consideration had been placed on our reputation as a country. I’m not suggesting though that a very ignoble matter of that nature touching on the credibility of the President of the country be swept under the carpet. No, far from it! But I think it would have been more honourable if Tinubu had allowed the Chicago State University to allow anybody access to his records, than attempting to block it.
“If that had happened, all the reverberations across the entire world wouldn’t have been, and perhaps the matter would have been resolved quietly in a manner that would have been a bit more tranquil and noble than the international embarrassment the country is getting from it. The US judicial system has proved its mettle on its stance on the case and this is one great lesson our own system and those that administer it must take home as serious food for thought. The consistency of the two courts in their decisions on the matter speaks of the much talked about purity of the American justice streams and the impressive jurisprudence upon which they are nourished.
“For instance, in a judgment of less than a page, the appeal judge captured in a fell swoop the entire essence of the case from all its perspectives, factual and legal. The justice content in the two decisions crystallise the inherent attributes of fairness, objectivity and balance in the adjudication and the depth and elegance of the scholarship in which they are rooted. We earnestly crave for this brand of institutional excellence particularly in the judicial sector, but this appears to have eluded us, particularly in more recent times. Our judiciary seems to have lost its noble values and turned into a shadow of its old self. I will be cautious in commending Atiku for the initiative, which resulted in these revelations. But the investigative authorities, such as the DSS, should brace up to their statutory responsibilities to rake up the pasts of aspiring leaders, no matter how sordid they are, as necessary measures to avoid the monumental shame that accompanies such discovery as in the Tinubu saga.
Also speaking, Daniel D. Makolo, a lawyer, said that the Chicago revelations are developing stories confirming the recklessness of Nigerian leadership’s connection with criminality. He noted that in the nation’s recent historical development, Nigerians with good character and integrity are becoming rare in national life.
“Nigerian leadership is characterised by persons with known or alleged notorious criminal records, as very many members of our national assembly are people who are either standing trial in Court or are being investigated for one serious criminality or the other. Many times, they are even freed by our courts for want of evidence even when the evidence of their criminality is topical and of common knowledge.
“In my mind, this Chicago revelation is a national disgrace. It is very shameful and we are becoming shameless in everything and everywhere. Our judiciary needs creativity and innovation on how to handle the disgrace of our nation Nigeria,” Makolo said.
Makolo tasked Nigerian courts to be alive to their roles and effectiveness in handling cases that come before them, which involves high profile politicians touching on fraud and other forms of roguery.
He stressed that this was necessary to stem the tide of degeneration to fraudulent inclinations, particularly by political elites. “I would suggest an ‘operation show your certificates’ for all persons occupying strategic elective and official positions for proper verification of the qualifications claimed.
“You can imagine what would be unearthed at the end as I know that Tinubu is not alone on this, just as his predecessor who kept hammering on his resume until the military authorities told the world that his certificates were not with them. Then, there’s this other gentleman who kept bandying an NYSC certificate until the NYSC told us that the said certificate was not issued by it. Surprisingly, he sailed through the tribunal unscathed, an incident that is raising some eyebrows and doubts on the understanding of the conception of justice by our jurists.”
THEGUARDIAN
