CCB Commissioner With Questionable Qualifications Among Those Calling For Probe Of Chairman

A former member of the House of Representatives who was dropped as committee chairman for possessing questionable certificates, Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, is in the news again.

The lawmaker from Edo State who was appointed as one of the six commissioners at the Code of Conduct Bureau is among those asking the Nigerian Senate to probe the chairman of the CCB, Professor Muhammed Isah.

The CCB was set up to fight corruption within the public service system through scrutiny of assets declaration forms of civil and public service officers.

In a petition jointly signed by the commissioners, they accused the CCB Chairman of corrupt practices including allegedly blocking the probe of the former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, who was accused of allegedly having assets worth over N109 billion.

But many have wondered how Agbonayinma was cleared for appointment into an anti-graft body when he is believed to possess questionable educational qualifications.

THE WHISTLER had on April 18, 2019, published the story of his removal as chairman of the House ad-hoc committee probing the National Pension Commission (PenCom).

He was removed after his daughter was sacked from PenCom for possessing fake university degrees while his own academic qualifications were also found inauthentic.

His daughter, Deborah Agbonayinma, had claimed in her curriculum vitae that she obtained a B.Sc degree in Accountancy with certificate number 12129 on August 8, 2012, from Irish University Business School (IUBS) located on 219 Bow Road, London E3 2SJ.

But the verification committee found that no such university existed as a valid UK degree awarding institution.

Agbonayinma was accused by PenCom of targeting the commission because of the sacking of his daughter, an allegation the then speaker, Yakubu Dogara, took seriously.

But one of his colleagues in the committee at the time, Busayo Oluwole Oke, had told THE WHISTLER that Agbonayinma was compromised because he was a surety for his daughter who was sacked for possessing fake certificates, adding also that Agbonayinma had questionable credentials.

This website also investigated his credentials and wrote to the institutions he claimed to have acquired the certificates in the United States.

He claimed in his curriculum vitae that he studied Security and Intelligence at the University of Houston, Texas, and graduated in 1988. He also obtained a certificate in real estate in 2006 at the Tomball College, Texas.

But in a response to THE WHISTLER’s email on April 12, 2019, Tomball College information office stated:

“Good morning,

“The College has made a good faith search of information that it owns, controls, or has a right of access to regarding your request. No record matching your request were located and, thus, there is no information responsive to your request.

“Your request is now considered closed by the College.

“Thank you,

“Maya Smith (Public Records).”