Certificate scandal: Group writes Buhari to demand sack of presidential aide

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has written President Muhammadu Buhari, calling for the sack of Okoi Obono-Obla, senior special assistant to the president on prosecution.

Obono-Obla is accused of certificate forgery.

In a letter dated May 14, 2018, and signed Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA’s national coordinator, the group said the presidential aide forged his West African Examination Council (WAEC) result with which he obtained admission and studied Law at the University of Jos.

The group said Obono-Obla’s genuine WAEC result showed that he was absent for Literature examination, but the result he used for admission indicated that he obtained C6 in the subject.

The letter requested that Obono-Obla should be immediately relieved of his appointment to save the government from further embarrassment.

It also urged the president to direct the police to immediately investigate and charge him to court.

The letter read in part: “We have closely observed the activities of the special assistant to the president on prosecution, Ofem Okoi Ofem, who now goes by the name Okoi Obono-Obla. We have observed that Okoi Obono-Obla, who also doubles as the chairman of the special investigation panel on the recovery of public property, conducts himself in questionable manner not befitting of his claimed profession and in ways that infringe on the rights of Nigerians.

“We have earlier had cause to write your excellency calling for the sack of Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla (Ofem Okoi Ofem) over his excesses, which have infringed on the human rights of Nigerians and constituted a cog in the wheel of the anti-corruption war of your administration.

“Very worrisome also, is that we have, in addition, received various complaints from Nigerians relating to Okoi Obono-Obla (Ofem Okoi Ofem) over the forgery of the WAEC certificate he used to gain admission in 1985 into the University of Jos, where studied Law and purported to have graduated in 1989.

“We proceeded to investigate the complaints and made the following startling findings: Obono-Obla gained admission into the University of Jos with a suspected fake WASCE result. Evidence available to us shows that Okoi Obono-Obla (Ofem Okoi Ofem) sat for May/June 1982 (examination registration No. 09403/247) at Mary Knoll College, Ogoja, where he obtained the following results: English Language – C6, Literature in English- Absent, Bible Knowledge- C4, Government- A1, Economics- C5, Mathematics- F9, Chemistry- F9, Biology- F9. We attach herewith a copy of the result issued by WAEC.

“This result can also be easily verified on WAEC result portal by obtaining a PIN card at the cost of N700.00 (Seven hundred naira only).

“Okoi Obono-Obla (Ofem Okoi Ofem) took Joint Matriculation Examination (JME) conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in 1985 and was offered admission into the Faculty of Law University of Jos (in the 1985/1986 session) where he presented a statement of result allegedly obtained from Mary Knoll College, which details are as follows: English Language- C6, Literature in English- C, Bible Knowledge- C4, Government- A1, Economics- C5, Mathematics- F9, Chemistry- F9, Biology- F9.

“You will see that whereas the genuine WAEC result has listed the result for Literature as ABSENT, ANNEXURE B, which forms the basis on which Okoi Obono-Obla (Ofem Okoi Ofem) was offered admission to study Law at the university, claims that he obtained C6 in Literature.

“However, on the basis of the forged result, he graduated from the University of Jos in 1989 with a second class (lower division) and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School where he passed out from in 1991 with a pass grade after failing the law school examination in 1990.

“It is worthy of note that after he was called to the bar in 1991. Ofem Okoi Ofem, for reasons best known to him, changed his name to Okoi Obono-Obla. See the Deed of Change of Name (ANNEXTURE E) and confirmation of name change issued by the registrar of the supreme court on 15th October 2015.”