Our Reporter, Abuja
Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria risks complete moral decay if criminal acts such as certificate forgery continue to be tolerated and normalised in public life.
In a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, apparently against the background of the alleged certificate forgery perpetrated by the Minister of Innovation, Science & Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, Obi lamented that many of those expected to be role models of integrity have instead become symbols of corruption and dishonesty.
“Whenever I talk about Nigeria being a crime scene, those who are part of the criminality and their hirelings quickly start their noise-making, attacking and blackmailing me,” he wrote.
“But how do you tell young Nigerians to be honest and upright when those they are supposed to emulate are the least to be emulated because they are dishonest and criminal?”
Obi described certificate forgery as a grave offence punished severely in most countries, expressing disappointment that it is often overlooked in Nigeria’s political system.
Recounting his recent visit to Indonesia, Obi said he met with several government officials, including the Chairman of the General Elections Commission, who told him that presenting forged academic certificates attracts immediate disqualification and prosecution.
“He looked at me, surprised and shocked, and said, ‘That attracts immediate disqualification and prosecution. It is a criminal offence. If someone can forge a certificate, how can that person be trusted to lead others?’” Obi quoted the Indonesian official as saying.
Obi decried what he called Nigeria’s “weak institutional response” to forgery and other acts of dishonesty among politicians, faulting both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary for failing to treat such offences as serious crimes.
“In Nigeria, INEC makes no effort to scrutinize certificates before elections, overlooks complaints of forgery, and when you challenge these issues after elections, the courts dismiss them as ‘pre-election matters,’” he said.
The former governor urged INEC to use the period leading up to the 2027 general elections to investigate past complaints of certificate forgery and false claims. He also called for amendments to the Electoral Act to promote transparency and accountability in the screening of candidates.
“Anyone intending to contest for any public office must submit all academic certificates to INEC immediately after party primaries—at least six months before the election,” Obi proposed.
“These should be made public for verification within 90 days.”
He further stressed that the same level of scrutiny should apply to appointed officials, including ministers and aides, warning that dishonesty at the top level trickles down through the entire system.
“We must deal with certificate forgery with the seriousness and level of criminality it deserves,” Obi said.
“Criminal offences should not be dismissed as mere procedural matters. We must end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power. True leadership must begin with truth.”
