A Speaker and Deputy Speaker were sent home because of fake degrees
‘Only his beard is real. Everything else is fake…’
This is the voice raised by the opposition in Nigeria against former Speaker Salisu Buhari, who was elected to parliament.
He got elected to the parliament in the 90s. Before he became the speaker to win his parliamentary seat he projected to the people of Nigeria that he was a man of letters and an intellectual. He and his party contested the election after toppling the military rule in Nigeria. The people of Nigeria who were utterly fed up and tired of the military regime viewed and believed him and his party as the saviors. He and his party campaigned to change the system of brutal military rule and transform Nigeria a rich and powerful country in the African continent. Salisu Buhari was a prominent character in this effort and the election campaign.
He contested the general election claiming that he is a graduate of Toronto University Canada. After the downfall of Nigerian military rule, the voters were looking to elect educated people to send to the parliament. Buhari produces his Toronto University degree certificate as proof. After the election victory, his party decided to appoint him as the speaker of the parliament considering his education and knowledge.
Six weeks after getting elected as the speaker in 1999 ‘news magazine’ a publication in Nigeria began to find out about Buhari’s Toronto degree. Their revelation indicated that he did not have a degree nor he had attended the university. While news magazine revealed his certificate is a fake one Buhari claimed his enemies are plotting to hunt him down.
‘ these accusations are lies and fabricated to destroy me..’
He shouted to the world. News magazine wrote to the university in Toronto to seek confirmation about Buhari’s degree. They wrote to confirm whether Buhari had a degree or not. The University of Toronto replied by return mail that Buhari does not have a degree from their university and had not even set foot at the University of Toronto, for any matter.
July 23rd 1999 humiliated and embarrassed Buhari accepted that he did not have a degree and his claim for that is a lie. Addressing the parliament he said,
‘I apologize to you the nation and my family members and friends. I have brought great shame on them. and hope the nation will forgive me and give me a chance to serve the nation again….’
He said thus and resigned from the position of Speaker and also as an MP.
However he was not pardoned, he was sentenced to prison for two years and also fined for producing a fake degree certificate.
South Africa’s North Western Provincial Council deputy Speaker Kohosha too faced a similar plight in May. African National Congress summoned him to appear urgently before the party executive committee in May 2024. The reason behind this was to inquire into the accusations levied in social media about his ‘metric’ certificate. The executive committee of the National Congress released a statement and informed the public that the party did not know anything about Kosha’s certificate but would inquire into the alleged accusation.
‘Generally we call for candidates’ educational qualification and we have a method of how these are provided…’
African National Congress stated in a communiqué released in this regard.
‘If his accusation proven correct he would have to resign from his deputy Speaker’s position immediately….’
African congress spokesperson informed further.
However, kosha’s spokesperson stated a completely different story to the media
‘This is an attempt to sling mud at our deputy speaker and our party we do not know who distributed such information this is an attempt of a coup by someone to hunt down our deputy speaker, he is the target….’
Nevertheless, the deputy speaker could not come out with excuses the African Congress ordered him to immediately leave his deputy speaker position.
After this kosha’s incident, there were many similar accusations against a few more MPs regarding fake educational certificates but they argued stating to become a MP educational qualifications are immaterial and noted that the president of South Africa too does not have a metric certificate.
But African congress stated all candidates put forward by the African National Congress should be free from criminal offences.
‘you are nominated as a candidate by the party. You face the people by providing your qualifications. If you cheat people in this respect you deceive the party as well…’
This is how the African National Congress addressed the fake education qualification provided by the candidates. Kohosha, despite resigning as the deputy speaker still remains as a MP. Trade unions of the National Congress now fight seeking his removal immediately.
