Tinubu’s Certificate Saga And State Of Nigeria’s Affairs, By David Kunle Agunbiade

Politics is brutal in Nigeria. It is simply our reality that the winner takes all. And if the winner happens to have an axe or two to grind, he/she would take no prisoners when the time comes.  It is how it is. 

Therefore, it is no surprise that losers of Nigeria elections hardly walk away quietly. They are usually not in the habit of licking their wounds, picking, and dusting themselves off. The norm nowadays is to dash to the courts to help them correct the perceived injustice. In several instances, the courts grant their prayer by turning election results in their favour, and on such occasions, the INEC usually has little to say for itself. But they are not the crux of this piece, so enough said on that. 

The heart of this discourse is the increasingly tedious back and forth regarding whether Nigeria’s current President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, did, in fact, graduate from the Chicago State University as widely reported and vehemently probed through exhaustive legal proceedings by his political opponent, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. 

To begin with, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a seasoned politician, which in my view depicts two things. First, it means he has been in the game of politics for a considerably long time. Second, it denotes that he is an integral part of the system that he appears to be fighting with such zest. A deeply entrenched system that nothing short of a revolution would suffice if it were to be done away with. 

While this is by no stretch of the imagination a call to arms, it simply serves to stress the political class’s gross lack of capacity or will to fix a system that has worked for them and continues to, to the detriment of the nation they profess to love and serve. It just so happens that this time, Alhaji Abubakar is at the receiving end of the flawed system. He presents himself as a man fighting for justice, dedicated to retrieving a stolen mandate, and that his ostensibly moral crusade is executed on behalf of all Nigerians. I rather think Nigerians know better. We are all too aware that we remain at the bottom of the pile when it comes to politicians and their interests and priorities.

This raises the question of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s puzzling reaction to his opponent’s challenge. This matter could have been laid to rest by simply showing his certificate. Instead, his lawyers have fought with vigour for information to be withheld, a position the appellate courts subsequently refuted. It makes one think that if, somewhere down the line, questions arise regarding my several academic qualifications, should that not be a matter easily laid to rest? I imagine the academic institutions I attended would gladly submit a statement confirming my attendance and authenticate my degree awards as reflected by the issued certificates. Furthermore, I imagine they might feel inclined to go over and beyond by inserting themselves in the mix to defend my name, and, more importantly, theirs. No reputable institution sits idly while its name is dragged through the mud, like the Chicago State University of late. 

This rather embarrassing saga has starkly revealed the sad state of our nation’s affairs. First, Nigeria’s political class generally appears to have an aversion to accountability and transparency. In a country where these principles are sacrosanct, the onus would lie squarely with an elected public official to disprove the kind of unwholesome inference against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. A lot has been said by the President’s team of lawyers and his spokespersons, both appointed and self-appointed, that the President’s non-disclosure protects his constitutionally enshrined privacy rights. There can only be one sensible response to this specious submission. And that is “REALLY?” 

Of course, politicians are not solely to blame. We, Nigerians, must draw our knives and serve ourselves a slice of this rotting cake. We are, after all, active enablers of the recurring disdain politicians show us when they tell us to shut up and mind our business, that their academic qualification, or lack of it, is not our concern, even though it is to us they come, begging bowl in hand, when they desperately need a leg up into public office. 

Still, we don’t question, resist, or demand. Rather, we enthusiastically seek merit in their blatant unaccountability and lack of transparency. We continue to set the bar so low that entry into public office remains an all-comers affair. A glaring example is the lawmaker who, some time ago, brazenly assaulted a lady for daring to do her job, a heinous act committed in the full glare of cameras. Was he arrested? Was he tried? Was there even a massive public outcry, strident enough to have his whip withdrawn in the Chambers? Sadly not. 

But setting politicians and the citizenry aside, the real problem that continues to grind our nation down, thus throwing up shameful issues such as the one under discussion, is the dominance of an utterly broken system. 

When it came to light, for instance, that Boris Johnson, a former UK Prime Minister, had violated certain COVID rules whilst in office, the police took up the matter, investigated, and found him culpable. He was subsequently fined accordingly. Not only that, it contributed to his eventual removal from office as his colleagues feared that his position had become untenable, particularly from the prism of the rule of law. 

If there is a hint that the President may have misrepresented certain facts, our law enforcement agencies have a constitutional responsibility and commensurate powers to intervene. And by intervening, I mean to do the bare minimum by conducting their own findings, considering that electoral fraud is a crime that falls within the purview of the police. And, yes, they can collaborate with the US authorities to assist in supplying facts, the same way the US authorities reach out to our law enforcement agents in similar circumstances. 

The same goes for other arms of government, which Nigerians now see often turn a blind eye to their sworn oath to uphold the Constitution. This indifference has trickled down to the citizenry. Many average Nigerians deem it un-Nigerian to do, say, or think the right thing. It is Western and unfashionable. So, the beat goes on. Wrongdoing is rewarding. Doing the right thing is frowned upon. 

Far more than many, Atiku has benefited from this broken system, evolving from an averagely-paid public servant to a business mogul with billions to play with. And so have a legion of politicians like him, including his most prominent political opponent in very recent times. They created the system that supports their wanton avarice, and one which Nigerians must now seek to dismantle at all costs.       

– David Kunle Agunbiade (DKA) is an author, creative writer, spoken word artist, and doctoral research student (Ph.D.) in Creative and Critical Writing.

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.