Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu is currently in a certificate scandal as recent report published on PREMIUM TIMES reveals that the minister’s claim that he graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka with a first class honours is false.
According to the report, the minister’s most public claim of his degree came while he was speaking during the 17th anniversary celebrations of the Commonwealth Of Zion Assembly (COZA) held at the church headquarters in Abuja two years ago.
In the seven minutes, 24 seconds video published on YouTube on 17th February, 2016 by COZA GLOBAL, Kachikwu, dressed, in a navy blue ‘senator attire’, said: “The heat in this place can either make you or burn you, this is a hot zone. Congrats COZA!”
“It is amazing the sort of revolution that takes place outside the civil service; public service; and the outer space. A lot of revolution goes on in houses like this and sometimes all of us who are in government need to find time to come out and spend time with you and get encouraged by the burst of energy that you see…”
While speaking on fate and destiny, Mr Kachikwu took the congregation on a journey of his life, highlighting his educational achievements.
“…I went to Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) to try and read medicine and I was there for two weeks and then I got admission to read law. My Father drove all the way to Ife to meet me and he asked, why do you want to go to the University?
“And I said, my ambition is to be a doctor and he said, why are you taking the line of what he called least resistance? And I said, what do you mean by that and he said, well, if you want to be a doctor why don’t you just go and read PHD, get to the very top…
“My dad was talking to a little boy and that got me. So, I packed my bag, left the school of medicine and went to read law.
“And, I got in there, got a scholarship and became the best student, I had a first class in that institution (UNN).
“And then, I left from there to the law school and in the law school, I think just like the pastor said: people encourage you. All my colleagues came and said, we are all here representing our institutions, if you brought a first class from Nsukka you better make it work here where everybody is gathered…”
According to a fact check by the DUBAWA and Premium Times, it’s been discovered that the minister didn’t graduate with first class honours, but with a second class upper degree. He joined the institution to study law in 1974 and graduated in 1978.
