ICPC clears lawmaker who forged diploma...says, it is no big deal

[usman11]

Folks
 
Just the latest is the fight for corruption
 
Culled by Aloy
 
Monday, 06 April 2009 10:28 Citizen Reports
 
For those who are familiar with the case of Ibrahim Yushau Kanya, the federal lawmaker representing Babura/Garki federal constituency and indeed all honest patriotic Nigerians, these are very sad times.

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) which has been handling the case of certificate forgery involving the MP has finally hands off the case.

The commission has cleared Kanya of any criminal offence saying though the allegations of certificate forgery are correct, there is no need disturbing the lawmaker because the offence is not a very serious one.

Sources in the commission say the ICPC has warned “trouble makers” from Babura and Garki to stop disturbing themselves. “After all this gentleman (Kanya) only forged certificates. What is the big deal there? There are people stealing billions and getting away with it. Why are they making trouble because somebody just tried to improve himself.. We are no longer worrying ourselves over the matter. Not even the President can resurrect he case”, the source told some elders from Garki who visited ICPC last week.

According to the source, the ICPC is interested is settling all cases amicably. In this case, the argument is that Kanya has almost finished his tenure. “Why should the ICPC spoil his opportunity simply because he was not the one that wrote his WAEC?”

The ICPC official then told the elders to stop disturbing themselves as the commission is not going to border the MP. He said there is so much pressure from the Presidency, the PDP and Jigawa state to give the MP a clean bill of health.

This declaration confirmed our earlier accusations that the ICPC is under pressure not to do anything about Kanya’s forgery case. It also confirms the fact that the lawmaker knew what he was doing when he rolled the drums into Babura to celebrate his freedom early this year.

Now, we have been cheated in our constituency and ICPC is rubbing the cheating into our face. Corruption and dishonesty at their worst is being visited upon us with impunity. If you visit the National Assembly website today, you will see that Ibrahim Kanya’s qualification is Diploma in Public Admin. He used another person’s WAEC results to obtain the diploma. He is a dishonorable man in the assembly and the ICPC says it does not matter.

[usman11]

Nigeria has really sunk to all time low. This is what happens when men like Ribadu are unceremoneously removed from office, hounded, ridiculed, and intimidated by a lameduck, ineffective, and inept Yar-Adua administration. Ribadu, when he headed the EFCC tried his best to do an honorable job of cleaning up corruption in government institutions despite having his hands tied behind his back in the process. Now, look at what we are faced with. It is now no big deal to forge diplomas.

If I was a high school student in Nigeria, or even a University student caught cheating in an exam and reprimanded, I would sue and expect to win. How can our society honestly expect students to study hard and approach their examinations with intergrity relying only on their toil when the system basically sanctions cheating?

When I point out these systematic rot in different spectrums and suggest ways that we can engage these issues , some accuse me of haboring ulterior motives. What ulterior motives exist in demanding accountability? What ulterior motives exist in demanding that people are held responsible for their actions? I suppose the way things are suits those people that seem to be troubled by my opinions. Fine, it is ok to cheat, and forge diplomas. This has been the culture in Nigeria for quite some time now. The question is where has that left Nigeria?   

[waduz]

Usman11, is this the first time you heard something like this? The case of ex governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu who forged certificate from university of Toronto and got clearance from the state's house of assembly, is also a very sad one. The first speaker in 1999, ibrahim salisu was also caught with a forged certificate from chicago university, but he honorably resigned and prosecuted in court. The question is why was Bola Tinubu not tried by a court and also cleared by the house of assembly of any wrong doing despite the denial by the authority of chicago university that he was a student there?

[Dan-Borno]

when people with genuine educational background refuse to participate
in politics, this will surely be the result.  one thing i observe in politics is
that, those who are intellectual, who have achieved a greater length in
the field of education and posses drums of wisdoms and experiences
dont participate.  politics in nigeria is left for those who have nothing to
offer to the society, redundants, dismissed officials with bad record,
expelled students and bunch of illiterates who wants attention by all means.

a typical example is the meeting i attended two weeks, it was initiated
and sponsored 100% by one heavy illiterate, the meeting is a ground
work for the coming of Malam Shekarau to be fielded as the next ANPP
presidential candidate.  After the meeting, all state officers at the meeting
who are committed are no where near to changing the future.  This is
the crop of people who participate in our politics, who risk their life day
and night campaigning and vying for political offices while you guys
seat in the comforts of your offices, swinging left and right on your chairs,
browsing and making comments on the internet that so so and so have
forge certificate or never attended school - this is an aftermath.

i dont like it either, but i cant help it, when all of us are running away from
politics, giving it different names that we are not suppose to.

i said it somewhere in this forum, those political thugs you see our politicians
governors, MPs, ministers etc are moving around with have played a vital
role during their campaign days that is why a reasonable governor cannot
forsake them after he worn the election - same thing with karuwai, those
you see going to mecca on the sponsorship of the state.

2011 is still not very close for whoeever wants to play a role in changing
this country and unless we join them we cant beat them.

afterall, we dont differentiate between those who forge their certificate and
those who genuinely have when its time for distributing GHANA-MOST-GO.

[usman11]

Dan Borno, very interesting perspective, and I find it to be largely true. I can't argue with your analysis. I feel that the more educated class or should I say the more talented class, are not so keen to jump into the political process seeing how muddy, dirty, corrupt, and even dangerous the process has become. it may well be the strategy of those in power to keep it that way believing that the educated class would lack the testicular fortitude to challenge them in such a mud fest of a political process.

But Waduz, I am not sure why Bola Tinubu was not dismissed after his diploma was determined to be fraudulent. He should have been disqualified. I cannot tell you why he was cleared, but this is the point I have been making. When people are not made to be accountable for their action, when personal responsibility is ignored and the authorities show indifference when serious breaches are committed, this is the end result. It just manifests itself elsewhere and eventually, the problem gets out of control.  It makes no difference where or who commits the offense, I say hold defaulting public officers accountable and to the same standard across the board. 

[Dan-Borno]

it will be hard for them to disqualify tinubu if the case is all about
forging diploma or degree certificate, because the minimum entry
point is the secondary school certificate, so, if at all the governor
is alledged to have forged a different certificate it will be a different
case, as forgery is clearly a criminal case which the governor has
IMMUNITY - you see where the case is going to be frustrated.