CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Abia State Security Trust Fund committee inaugurated over a month ago has run into a storm as a civil society group, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy (CRFA) has faulted its composition.
In a letter to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State signed by the community relations officer, Mba Edu Emeri, CRFA said that the inclusion of an Aba businessman allegedly involved in certificate forgery has blighted the integrity of the committee.
The letter dated June 5, 2024 and received by the governor’s office on June 19, the group alleged that Owelle Greg Okafor was involved in certificate forgery scandal in the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba in 2021.
The group alluded that the governor might have inadvertently included Okafor in the highly sensitive committee without proper background check hence the need to reconsider his membership.
It, therefore, urged Governor Otti to remove the unfit member of the committee without delay for being a beneficiary of the certificate forgery syndicate in the state polytechnic.
CRFA asserted that documents it obtained from Abiapoly showed “manifest evidence of certificate forgery” of National Diploma Certificate purportedly issued to Okafor by Abiapoly in November 2021.
Tracing the genesis of the alleged certificate forgery, CRFA noted that Okafor was admitted in Abiapoly during the 2018/2019
“for a course that should run for at least 2 years and 4 months or 3 years as the case may be, inclusive of the Industrial Training (IT) period”.
It stated that with the Covid-19 which interrupted academic activities, Okafor could not have fulfilled all the requirements to have graduated in August 2020 as indicated in his statement of result.
It argued that following the Covid 19 total lockdown which halted academic activities worldwide “there was no evidence of the Abia state polytechnic, Aba, teaching their students virtually or taking exams online”.
CRFA stated: “Thus, the statement of result issued by the Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, has August 2020 as effective date of graduation. The outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic brought academic programmes to a stand-still, worldwide.
“Nigeria experienced a total lockdown from March 2020 till around October 2020. It is thus, not possible that Owelle Greg Okafor graduated and fulfilled all the requirements within the Covid-19 total lockdown.”
The group further pointed out other evidence of forgery in Okafor’s ND certificate, saying that the statement of result purportedly issued to him was signed by a retired Registrar of Abiapoly while another related official document was signed by the incumbent on same date.
“The statement of result issued by the Abia State polytechnic, Aba, to Owelle Greg Okafor, is in the letter head of a retired Registrar, Mrs. C.A. Nwabughiogu, as at the date of issue”.
Curiously, the verification letter of the student status of Okafor as demanded by Aba Sports Club was signed on same date by incumbent Registrar, Mr. Chinyere C. Oriaku, hence CRFA insisted that “the Polytechnic couldn’t have had two registrars on the same date of November 30, 2021”.
While urging Governor Otti to remove the “forgery infected” member of the Security Trust Fund committee, in line with his avowed best practices, the group also called for a probe of certificate forgery in the state polytechnic.
“A panel (should) be set up immediately to determine those involved in such forgery in Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, in order to end the certificate racketeering in (the institution”, CRFA said.
