Following the statement by former president Olusegun Obasanjo that there are "thieves and rogues" in the National Assembly, newsmen observed that many Nigerians have become very suspicious of most of the lawmakers. In fact, many do not take them serious any more.
The latest dirty revelation coming from the Senate is that Chairman of the Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, lied about his Degree in Arts/Criminology from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States. newsmmen gathered that the Senator had, in an interview with a national newspaper and on his Facebook page and other documents, claimed that he obtained a Degree in Arts/Criminology from the Washington University.
However, a newsmen investigations at the Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, showed that the Senator representing Orlu Senatorial District never obtained a degree from the University.
“Sorry, we don’t have such name in our database; you can please call or reach out to the Registrar’s office, a lady in the Office of Alumni Affairs of the School said.
Newsmen gathered a that a further check by newsmen at the Registrar’s office where data of all students including those that have graduated are kept did not find the name “Hope Uzodinma,” or any similar name.
“Please, we don’t have such name in our record. But you can also check at the National Clearing House,” an official, who simply gave his name as Kelvin at the Registrar’s office of the Washington University, said.
Newsmen also checked through official records at the National Clearing House and was told the name, Hope Uzodinma, does not exist in any of its database. “We cannot get any record with such name, I am sorry,” Kerry Anderson of the National Clearing House said. Newsmen investigation came about as a result of the alarm raised by a group, Save Imo, that Uzodinma did not have the two certificates he had claimed - one from a Nigerian University and another from oversea.
A statement endorsed by the coordinator of Save Imo group, Nze Ebubeagu Ekenulo, said findings by the organization revealed that the lawmaker’s claims were unfounded.
“Both universities have confirmed that the senator never attended their institutions, hence obtained no degrees from them,” Ekenulo maintained.
