Inquiries about Senator Bello Muhammed’s university admission based on secondary school results with no more than two credits were raised on Monday during his Senate screening as a ministerial nominee.
One of the 28 initial appointees of President Bola Tinubu, Muhammad, was going to be questioned during a special plenary session in the Red Chamber.
Senator Allwell Onyesoh of Rivers East asked the nominee a few questions, including how Muhammad was able to advance academically in light of his high school diploma.
“I’ve been looking for your school cert. I saw one. You sat for five subjects with two credits,” Onyesoh said
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“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?”
