The Management of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria has announced it will make a statement regarding allegations that Senator Dino Melaye did not graduate from the university.
The Information Officer of the university, Mr. Adamu Muhammed, said that ABU would make a formal statement on the issue today.
“We are gathering all the facts from the faculty and the department concern and we will issue a press statement tomorrow (today),” Muhammed said.
The statement, when released, will add a new dimension to the claims that Melaye had obtained a fake certificate due to inability to graduate from the institution.
The Senate had, on Tuesday, announced it would investigate the allegation, noting that similar issues in the past had been probed by the Legislature.
The move to investigate is based on a point of order inititated by Senator Ali Ndume at the Senate Plenary session on Tuesday.
“During the 4th Assembly, Salisu Buhari was accused of certificate forgery; he was investigated and his fate determined. After that, in the 5th Assembly, Bello Masari was accused of certificate forgery (secondary school); it was investigated and was cleared. In the 6th National Assembly, Dimeji Bankole was accused of not having NYSC certificate; it was investigated and he had to show his NYSC certificate.
“Now, that brings me to the second matter. In the National Assembly, here in the Senate of the 4th Assembly, Enwerem was accused and it was also investigated. Wabara was accused of collecting a bribe and it was investigated and determined. So, a lot of precedence had been set. Now, the second matter of privilege affects my colleague, Sheikh Dino Melaye, and it is in The Punch of today (Tuesday) on Page 10; I have the newspaper. In The Punch, it says, ‘Dino Melaye in first degree certificate scandal.’”
“Therefore, accordingly, I will appeal we refer the matter to the Ethics and Privileges Committee to investigate so that our colleagues would be cleared and this Senate will stand as it is supposed to.”
Melaye, however, said he is open to being investigated.
“I’m here to respond to the issue raised by the … senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Ali Ndume. I want to say, to me, it is a welcome development. Democracy is about investigation and no senator is above investigation. To me, it is a welcome development and it will finally clear the air on all the malicious and vindictive allegations.
“To say that I did not graduate from ABU is to say that I am not a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. ABU is a very prestigious university in this country and it is not possible for one to be running a Master’s programme in the university when one did not graduate from a university. I have successfully completed one and I am doing the second one.
“I want to announce that this is the eighth degree that I am pursuing. I am also a graduate of the University of Abuja, where I did Master’s in Policy Analysis. I am a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science. I am also a graduate of Harvard University. The course I am pursuing now will make it my eighth degree.”
“I have my admission letters, results, certificate of discharge from ABU. Not only that, I was the Student Union Government President of ABU. On three occasions, I was the most popular student on campus.”