The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, is enmeshed in a certificate scandal.

According to Premium Times Kachikwu’s claim “that he graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a first class honours is false,” as his alleged certificate says differently.

In a YouTube video posted on February 17, 2016 by COZA GLOBAL, Mr Kachikwu during the 17th-anniversary celebrations of the Commonwealth Of Zion Assembly (COZA) church in Abuja, said that he graduated with a first class in Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

While speaking on fate and destiny, Mr Kachikwu took the congregation on a journey of his life, highlighting his educational achievements.

Kachikwu said:

“…I went to Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) to try and read medicine and I was there for two weeks and then I got admission to read law. My Father drove all the way to Ife to meet me and he asked, why do you want to go to the University?

“And I said, my ambition is to be a doctor and he said, why are you taking the line of what he called least resistance? And I said, what do you mean by that and he said, well, if you want to be a doctor why don’t you just go and read PHD, get to the very top…

“My dad was talking to a little boy and that got me. So, I packed my bag, left the school of medicine and went to read law.

“And, I got in there, got a scholarship and became the best student, I had a first class in that institution (UNN)

 “And then, I left from there to the law school and in the law school, I think just like the pastor said: people encourage you. All my colleagues came and said, we are all here representing our institutions, if you brought a first class from Nsukka you better make it work here where everybody is gathered…”

The minister went ahead to list other institutions he attended and the honours he bagged.

“…I went to Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University) to try and read medicine and I was there for two weeks and then I got admission to read law. My Father drove all the way to Ife to meet me and he asked, why do you want to go to the University?

“And I said, my ambition is to be a doctor and he said, why are you taking the line of what he called least resistance? And I said, what do you mean by that and he said, well, if you want to be a doctor why don’t you just go and read PHD, get to the very top…

“My dad was talking to a little boy and that got me. So, I packed my bag, left the school of medicine and went to read law.

“And, I got in there, got a scholarship and became the best student, I had a first class in that institution (UNN).

“And then, I left from there to the law school and in the law school, I think just like the pastor said: people encourage you. All my colleagues came and said, we are all here representing our institutions, if you brought a first class from Nsukka you better make it work here where everybody is gathered…”

The former ExxonMobil vice chairman said he graduated from the Nigerian Law School with a First Class honours. He also said he emerged “best student” at Harvard University, where he did his master’s degree with specialisation on Energy and Petroleum Law and Investment.

Mr Kachikwu claimed his record at Harvard, one of the best institutions in the world, remained unbroken.

“…I made a first class in the law school and then, getting to Harvard – my feeling, as soon as I got into Harvard was – this is a very unique institution, the biggest in the world and basically you must have a 2.1 or first class from your primary institution before they can accept you…

“…At the end of our master’s programme, I was the best student; got a Harvard scholarship and I went to do my doctorate and for it; I set what is still a record in Harvard of completing a doctorate in one and half years.”

Premium Tims reports that apart from making the incorrect claim during the COZA church programme, the minister is also peddling the same falsehood through his official biography posted to the website of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

Premium Times has said that “Kachikwu was economical with the truth as far as his certificate from UNN is concerned.”

The paper stated that a copy of his certificate showed that he graduated with a second-class honours (upper division).

Watch video below and some documents  below:(controversial part starts from 2.40 mark):