Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last election, has stated that some Nigerian politicians will always do the wrong thing because they live a fabricated existence.
Obi, who appeared on Arise TV on Monday, noted that leaders who changed their academic credentials through certificate fraud prior to their election into office are living a fabricated life.
The former Anambra governor, who believes academic qualifications should not be used to determine leadership roles, believes leaders should be open about their standing.
Obi noted that several former and present world leaders were not highly educated academically but were forthright about their credentials.
He said,
“It is the issue of leaders making statements, doing things that are honest and truthful. This is an issue of honour and integrity. It is the foundation on which you build society.
“If you look at what is happening in Nigeria today, there are so many issues of certificate, age and all sorts of falsification or the other. It is all over within the leaders.
“There is no way people can be doing this and be able to do the right things. Because that means that they are living a falsified life.
“There are so many great people in the world who did not go to school. I can say that the greatest president in America is Abraham Lincoln. He did not go to a former school because he came from an extremely poor family.
“He didn’t have to say he had a PhD here or there to generate arguments like what we are having all over Nigeria today which is bringing the credibility of the nation into question.
“You don’t need to have all the degrees in the world to be great but you need to be honourable about your past”.
Platinum Times reports that some Governors, lawmakers and even the president are currently having legal battles following the discrepancies surrounding their academic records.