During the Senate screening of Senator Bello Muhammed a ministerial nominee, concerns were raised about his university admission due to his secondary school results containing no more than two credits.
The Quest Times reports that Muhammed a nominee from Sokoto state, is among the 28 initial appointees chosen by President Bola Tinubu, and they were all scheduled for screening in a special plenary session in the Red Chamber.
Senator Allwell Onyesoh from Rivers East asked Muhammed how he managed to progress academically, considering his school leaving certificate.
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“I’ve been looking for your school cert. I saw one. You sat for five subjects with two credits,” Onyesoh said
“I don’t know how; I want to imagine that you still have another to bring. If not, I would want you to explain how you got into university with that.”
In his response, Muhammed told the chamber he had other secondary school results that he “all passed” which he admittedly did not attach to his CV “because we are talking of secondary school certificate”.
“I want to remind the distinguished senator which I know he very much knows that with the qualification of secondary school certificate, as enshrined in the constitution, we can stand for an election up to the presidential election,” the nominee explained.
“So, I didn’t bother you with much certificates (sic). But I know those are the qualifications for that.”
At this point, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stepped in, noting the distinctions between contesting an election and being nominated to serve as a minister.
“You are saying that you chose what to give to the Senate. You chose the qualification to bring before the Senate because of the constitutional provision that a secondary school certificate is what is required to stand for election,” Akpabio said.
“You’re not coming to stand for election; you’re coming to be a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, which are the other certificates you concealed? Which are the other certificates you did not put in your CV?”
During the Senate screening, Senator Bello Muhammed explained that he initially obtained “two credit passes” in his first attempt at the secondary school certificate examination. He further mentioned that he had taken another examination and passed but chose not to attach the additional qualification.
His response caused commotion in the chamber. To restore order, the Senate President concluded Muhammed’s screening and issued a warning to other nominees. He emphasized the importance of knowing all relevant information about the candidates, including details about their families, properties, and qualifications. The Senate President asserted that Nigerians and the international community have the right to be fully informed about the ministers.
Despite the ongoing scrutiny, the Senate decided to give Muhammed more time to provide the other certificates for circulation without requiring him to appear again before the Senate.
