One of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, Senator Bello Muhammed, has been quizzed on how he gained admission into the university with just two credits from his secondary school result.
The nominee was quizzed by Senators on Monday following the commencement of the screening of the nominees.
The representative of Rivers East Senatorial District, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, raised the issue as Muhammed stood in the box for screening.
Onyesoh said: “I’ve been looking for your school cert.
“I saw one.
“You sat for five subjects with two credits.
“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.”
Responding, Muhammed said he had other secondary school results he did not attach to his credentials “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.
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“So, I didn’t bother you with much certificates.
“But I know those are the qualifications for that.”
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, interjected at this stage, telling Muhammed he erred with his position.
Akpabio said: “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.
“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?”
Muhammed replied that his first attempt at secondary school certificate examination resulted in “two credit passes”, adding that he “sat for another examination and I have passed”.
Akpabio agains interjected, ending Muhammed’s screening with a warning to other nominees that they must present everything they have in totality, including the number of their children and the number of houses they have.
He said Nigerians Nigerians have a right to know their ministers as does the international community, adding: “So, you don’t choose and pick.”
He said the Senate would allow Muhammed more time to bring the other certificates “to circulate, but not necessarily appearing again before us”.