BUHARI CERTIFICATE-GATE, THE REAL UNFOLDING SCANDAL?

Icheoku says the certificate or no certificate saga of the APC presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari is suddenly taking air on its own because of the inconsistencies of explanations surrounding it. From 'my certificate is with the army' to 'YarAdua is my classmate' to now a released testimonial with a different name and varying subjects that were taken, as well as variations in relevant dates of consequence. In a more civilized society, the candidate would have since done the needful and stepped aside to avoid the current bleeding which the none satisfactory clarification of his qualifying credentials is causing his party. But a Nigerian society with so many contending disparate primordial interests, the parties with interest in his presidency, are huffing and puffing, and threatening Armageddon in their futile attempt to intimidate inquiries thereto, and desperately trying to sweep the matter under the carpet as if it is no big deal. 

Icheoku says assuming, ordinarily, it may not have been a big deal that a candidate's certificate was lost either during the Biafran war or in a fire or whatever circumstance, but for a candidate who has protested so much about his incorruptibility, such evidence of his certification and necessary qualification for office of the president therefore becomes an imperative. It touches and concerns the very root of his professed candor for truthfulness and capacity to keep upright and therefore he ought to validate same by producing his certificates. Only a cheat would not have necessary qualifying certificate and pretends otherwise to have it and Muhammadu Buhari has led the world to believe he is a Mother Theresa and should therefore prove same. Icheoku says Muhammadu Buhari should satisfactorily explain the where-about of his necessary qualifying certificates and in any other event, step aside for lacking the necessary requisite qualification to become president of Nigeria. 

As a matter of fact, majority of these Northerners do not have formal qualifying education or training or even certificates.  Icheoku makes bold to state as follows that even the senate president David Mark did not finish school; Ibrahim Babangida too does not have any qualifying certificate; likewise the late maximum ruler and midget of Kano Sani Abacha. Jeremiah Useni also does not have qualifying certificate and same is Abdulsalam Abubabar as well as Atiku Abubakar and also the Customs Director Dikko and former IGP Abubabar. The problem with Nigerians is that they are often very selective in apportioning blame  otherwise the proper thing to do in this circumstance is to demand that every public official in Nigeria re-present their qualifying certificates for verification in order to make sure that they are properly suited for the job and offices to which they are appointed. 

Icheoku asks does it ever occur to Nigerians to ask why  their country continuously run out of gas and always in the negative charges, leading to series of its institutions disappearing over the years, including the Nigeria Airways, National Shipping Line etc. It is simply the result of a shifty feudal machinations that punishes merit and rewards mediocrity; which sees incompetents placed in authority, who do not have a clue or idea of what needs to be done to move things forward and stay the gears permanently engaged. Icheoku recalls that not too long ago the deputy senate president Ekweremadu lamented that in the senate close to 75% of senators cannot even read or write and are only interested in collecting their allowances and benefits; and then you wonder the kind of legislations that will be churning out therefrom. So what Icheoku is saying is that public officials' cheating on their curriculum vitae is pervasive in the country and that Buhari should not be needlessly singled out to hang alone.  

As one who has had an insider personal experience and knowledge dealing with the wide disparity in educational development/attainment in Nigeria, Icheoku says this Buhari certificate scandal is but a tip of the iceberg. Icheoku once lived in Birnin Kebbi, then Sokoto State and capital of present day Kebbi State before the December 31st 1983 Buhari coup that toppled Shehu Shagari. A very good friend was simultaneously doing his NYSC in the same town at the Birnin Kebbi Polytechnic as a teaching staff. One day I visited him and he was grading the students examination papers and low and behold, out of the over forty five candidates he had already finished grading their papers and scored, none of the students managed a pass - they were all below 32 percentile. He said he will take the matter up with the head of department and subsequently informed me that he was mandated to "grade to pass them" and should not worry about their proficiency or knowledge thereof their subject areas. 

Also for anyone who has lived in the core North, there is also a prevalent of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis as well as Indian staff throughout their system including medical staff and teaching staff as well as agricultural consultants. These people would rather hire these foreigners so called, than tenure their supposed fellow Nigerians from the South. Icheoku recalls that during the said stay in Birnin Kebbi, that the then State commissioner of health was on the television one day, decrying the poor state of health in the state as well as lack of indigenous medical doctors from the state, which he put at around ONLY TWO DOCTORS throughout the state. Today, the very same Sokoto State has been sub-divided into Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara and Kebbi States - just one state; but whether the health care situation has improved, Icheoku is not in a position to tell. In the same vein, then Kano State with its phantom forty-four local government areas, had Jigawa State carved out of it, and still retained its original forty four local governments areas and you wonder, what local governments area then constitutes the new Jigawa State. It is all scam.

The fact of the matter is that this Northwestern Nigerian people have been getting a free ride on the back of the camel called Nigeria and for so long that they have lost any sense of personal responsibility for anything; and unfortunately this is at a very great expense to everyone else in Nigeria who is not one of them. Also everything North is always about them such that they have produced four presidents and heads of state of Nigeria and now rearing to produce the fifth; and you ask yourself how about the other Northerners? So the real question should be for other Nigerians to demand that everyone actually sit down and address all these existing imbalances and inequities in Nigeria; and if the concluded National Conference covered this, then lets implement them. The only fear is that the conference is also an issue in this election as an APC win will spell death to it because they are against it. Imagine this people for example, banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in their domain, yet they partake in the disbursement of VAT revenue derived from taxes levied on sale of alcoholic beverages in the South and other places where people are still allowed to consume such drinks. 

Anyway, Icheoku will stop thus far because often times, delving into this people's arrant arrogance makes Icheoku wanna puke. It is quite unfortunate that they were allowed by other Nigerians to get away with this much and for too long; and once again they are impetuously queuing up behind one of their own Miyetti Allah member to again run for president when he is not even qualified to so do. To them, it would appear that different rules applies to different people in Nigeria and this certificate requirement should not apply to them; after all they were born that way - BORN TO RULE, no questions asked. Icheoku says it is about time Nigerians called their bluff, rise up in unison and tell them enough. This 2015 they must be told to their face, "if other Nigerians cannot rule them, they cannot be allowed to rule other Nigerians', period! Who gives a damn if their founding father conquered Northern Nigeria; Nigerians have got their independence from Britain and must also declare their independence from these Hausa/Fulanis of Northwestern Nigeria. So Buhari, Icheoku says show your certificate or take the exit door out of the presidential race NOW!