Lagos State Governor Embroiled In Certificate Forgery ScandalLagos State Governor Embroiled In Certificate Forgery Scandal September 23, 1999 LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA) - Lagos State governor, Ahmed Tinubu, has been fighting very had to keep his job as the gale of certificate scandal enveloped the third senior official in Nigeria's young democracy. First it was Salisu Buhari, the speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, who was forced to resign and later convicted on charges of perjury and falsification of his age and educational qualification. That scandal, exposed by the Lagos-based The News magazine had hardly subsided when Tell, another weekly publication, released a similar report, alleging that the Senate president, Evan Enwerem, the third highest citizen in the country, had also lied about his age. It went further to accuse him of being an ex-convict. But Enwerem is still hanging onto his job having been cleared by the Senate Committee which investigated his case. However, the House of Representatives Committee is still probing the matter although with waning public interest. But Tinubu's case seems to have generated the loudest public debate, with Lagos human rights lawyer Gani Fahwehinmi accusing the media in western Nigeria of cover-up and double standard. Abuja Today, a weekly publication, based in the Nigerian capital, has alleged that the Lagos State governor has lied about his secondary school and university qualification, including those reportedly obtained from Chicago State University and the University of Chicago, both in the US. Tinubu's aide has made unsuccessful attempt to dismiss the allegation, but the scandal has refused to go away amid cause from some quarters for the governor to step aside. After the expiry Monday of Fahwehinmi's seven-day ultimatum to Tinubu to clear himself, the lawyer has now taken his petition to the State Assembly speaker. He has also given the Nigerian inspector general of police another two weeks to probe the forgery allegation. Fahwehinmi, famous for his penchant for litigation, declined to disclosed the next line of action at the expiry of the latest ultimatum to the police chief. It is generally believed that he could go to court to challenge Tinubu's continued stay in office. Also bowing to public pressure, the Lagos State House of Assembly has set up a probe into the Tinubu saga. As Nigerians await the outcome of the investigation, a school of thought, however, hold strongly that Tinubu could only be removed through impeachment by the State House of Assembly, and not on the basis of media allegation. As in Buhari and Enwerem case, this latest scandal represents a major test case for Nigeira's evolving democracy under an administration that has vowed to eradicate corruption. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 Panafrican News Agency. All Rights Reserved.