The certificate row involving Senator Dino Melaye was on Monday laid to rest when the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Prof. Ibrahim Garba told the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions that the senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, graduated from the university as Jonah Daniel Melaye with a third class in BA Geography.
Mr. Garba made the confirmation at an investigative hearing of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges on the certificate forgery allegation against Melaye.
The Vice Chancellor said, “From records, Mr. Melaye, formerly known as Daniel Jonah Melaye graduated, graduated from ABU with Third Class BA Geography in 2000”.
At the hearing, Mr. Melaye said he later changed his name officially from “Daniel Jonah Melaye” to “Dino Melaye” and expressed readiness to tender an affidavit backing the change of name.
The senator also tendered the admission letter he received from ABU, his acceptance of offer, statement of result and final year project before the probe committee.
The certificate controversy was sparked off by an online news platform, SaharaReporters, which alleged that Melaye did not graduate from ABU as he claims. Matter was not helped when the authorities at ABU refused to clear the air at once.
Nigerians sat back and relished the war of words that ensued between the senator and SaharaReporters, with the former petitioning the Inspector-General of Police and threatening to send the publisher of the online platform, Mr Sowore to chain for libel and propagation of injurious falsehood.
Mr. Melaye consistently denied the allegation, which he saw as an attempt by those uncomfortable with his rising political profile. And a price he had to pay for speaking out the truth at all times, no matter the stakes.
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