Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo has vowed to wage a full war on fake certificates.
He warned politicians parading dubious qualifications, stressing the fraud misleads youths and damages public trust.
Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has promised to intensify efforts against certificate forgery in the state after the November 8 governorship election.
Soludo made the declaration in Awka during the weekend while inaugurating the campaign council of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He noted that the fight against fraud in Anambra would move beyond tackling fake native doctors to confronting individuals who parade counterfeit academic qualifications.
The governor raised concern about what he described as a worrying trend in politics, where some aspirants and their associates use questionable credentials to gain relevance. He alleged that a running mate to one of the major governorship candidates is flaunting a doctorate degree obtained from an unrecognized foreign institution.
Without mentioning names, Soludo said the questionable academic claim was misleading to young people who may begin to believe that university degrees can simply be bought online. “INEC has a column where if you are filing your form, you fill your qualifications, but the running mate to this candidate wrote that (s)he had a school cert, and a PhD,” he told his party members.
He added that checks showed the supposed PhD came from a non-accredited institution that issues certificates for a fee. According to him, “Some people have taken it upon themselves to find out where the PhD was gotten and it turned out to be fake. It is from a fake institution… Some charge even 60 dollars and they give it to you.”
The governor stressed that the proper step would have been for the candidate to declare a school certificate and support it with an affidavit. He wondered how someone could claim only a school certificate yet suddenly present a doctorate degree from an institution with no recognition.
Soludo explained that his government has already confronted dubious practices in society, such as the activities of fake spiritualists who promise wealth without work, and will not hesitate to extend the same action to certificate forgers. “Let me tell you, after November 8 election, we will declare war on fake certificate holders. After our war on fake native doctors, our next move is to go after fake certificate holders,” he said.
He cautioned that embracing false academic qualifications sends the wrong message to the younger generation. “It confuses the children. If that (PhD) is what you want, you sit down and work for it, not going to get fake certificates. They are deceiving our children. We cannot let that continue to happen,” he added.
Soludo assured his supporters that he remains focused on cleansing the state of fraudulent practices and restoring integrity. He emphasized that there is much work to be done to rebuild values in Anambra, and that his administration will not shy away from the responsibility.
