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Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari and chairman of Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has been accused of forgery of his secondary school certificate.

An ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives which stated this in its report also recommended for his arrest and prosecution.

In a report the committee submitted to the House last Tuesday before the commencement of the current annual recess by members, it accused the President’s aide of forging his secondary school certificate and wrongful utilisaiton of public funds.

Obono-Obla and members of Special Investigative Panel, which he serves as chairman, were asked by the committee to refund N17 million excess funds collected as honoraria for sittings and indicted for violation of the presidential order on flying business class.

The report came following the House resolution to investigate the activities of the Special Investigative Panel chaired by Obono-Obla upon claims that the panel was exceeding its mandate.

During the course of its investigations the committee got report that Obono-Obla forged the secondary school certificate with which he used in gaining admission to study Law in the University of Jos. And in its response, the university had confirmed to the panel that the result which the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, deposed was forged was what Obono-Obla presented to gain admission into the university to read Law.

The committee in its findings deposed that: “In view of the petition received from Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria against the Chairman of the panel, Chief Okoi Obono Obla, copies of the statement of result, which he was alleged to have used to gain admission to study Law was sent to the West African Examination Council and University of Jos for verification. The university confirmed that the statement of result sent to it was the result Chief Obla used to gain admission to study Law.

“However, the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the result for Candidate No: 094051247 May/June 1982, showed that the candidate was absent at the exam for Literature. In the result with University of Jos, he claimed to have credit in Literature in English in the statement of result issued to him by Mary Knoll College, Calabar.

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“However, WAEC disclaimed the result in the Certified True Copy sent to the committee. This cast doubt as to the integrity and character of the Chairman of the Panel.”

In its recommendations therefore, the House panel, among others, in its report deposed that the “Law degree obtained by Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, having been done fraudulently, should be withdrawn by the University of Jos.

“The Body of Benchers should withdraw the Law School Certificate awarded to Ofem, Okoi Ofem (now known as Chief Okoi Obono-Obla) as this was based on the degree which he obtained from the University of Jos through fraud.”

Obono-Obla is yet to officially respond to the claim.

 

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