Travails of Deputy Speaker Kalu in the Search for Scholarship and Acquisition of Knowledge

By Akongbowa Bramwell Amadasun

This piece is a rejoinder to Professor Abiodun Ojo, illusory exposition. He is the Provost, College of Post Graduate Studies, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD). His writeup is titled “The New Certificate Craze: How Politicians are Quietly Eroding Academic Standards in Nigerian Universities”.Ordinarily I would have taken such illusory exposition as a fiction but because of the strangulating, untrue, biased and targeted nature of the exposition, I am forced to put up a rejoinder because this exposition is deliberately calculated to:From the beginning to the end the writeup is designed and driven with the aim of tarnishing the image of Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative, National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria. It was certainly not about system reset.

Mislead the public opinion that political office holders are incapable of genuinely acquiring academic Ph.Ds. qualifications without fraudulent manipulations. The obvious target being the Deputy Speaker and the political class.Give the impression that Nigerian Universities are awarding Ph.Ds. degree certificates to politicians who have not met the required standards or have circumvented laid down process and procedures.Say that the political class is incapable of engaging rigorous academic exercise like every other class of the Nigerian society. This is not only a fallacy but a delusion of extreme order.

For the benefit of doubt Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative, National Assembly is academically very sound. Before enrolling for a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Strategic Studies at the University of Abuja (now Yakubu Gowon University), he possesses an impressive academic profile:Bachelor of Law (LL.B) University of Calabar.Master of Law (LL.M) in Terrorism and Humanitarian Law (with Distinction) from University of Calabar.Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Oxford Brookes University.Various certifications from renowned institutions like Harvard Kennedy School, University of Oxford and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).

It is unfortunate that before Professor Abiodun Ojo embarked on his repugnant writeup he failed to verify the fact. I dare state that Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative, is a sound scholar by any standard. I say this without fear of contradiction. This is because I was his External Examiner and I can attest to the capacity and capability of the human material I interacted with. He not only possesses the capacity to scholarly and provocatively defend his empirical opinion but also intellectually interrogate traditional, conservative and contemporary school of thoughts in a new world order. Consequently, I challenge Professor Abiodun Ojo to pick up a copy of his Ph.D thesis and evaluate it if it is not standard enough for external examination. I also challenge him to come out with a proof that Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative was not a Ph.D. student at Abuja Leadership Center, University of Abuja for a minimum period of three years.Let it be clear that he not only met the requirement for admission into the degree programme but diligently attended classes and participated in other activities connected with the completion of the programme. It is also pertinent to state that he was in the programme for about four (4) years and not five (5) months as Professor Abiodun Ojo dubiously want the World to believe. His lecturers and classmates are there to be interviewed about his class participation, examinations, and internal and external defense.Let us evaluate Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative on Professor Abiodun Ojo criteria:

Did he by-pass the timeline? The answer is no. At the University of Abuja where I examined him as the External Examiner, he spent over three (3) years of rigorous study.Did the Supervisors adjust expectations? The answer is again no. The thesis is there for anybody to verify.Were internal checks weakened? No. The relevant internal approval units approved; the relevant possesses was adhered to; and he presented his seminar papers, proposal and field work for both internal and external defense.Did political pressure override academic independence? No, he was even very careful not to reveal his identity. On the day of his defense, his security details were asked to leave the hall and none of his political friends and colleagues were there to witness his defense.Was the admission requirement followed? Yes. His file is there for anyone to peruse and verify.Did he complete the course work? Yes, he did, he wrote and passed the prescribed courses. The records are there for anyone to verify.Was the proposal approved through the correct chain? Yes. There was a proposal development, presentation and approval in a rigorous internal defense conducted by the Abuja Leadership Center.Was the External Examination conducted? Yes, with the approval of the Postgraduate School. I was the External Examiner. In attendance was the Postgraduate School Representative, Internal Examiner, his supervisor, other academics in the center (Professors Inclusive), the Director of the Center and his course mates and other students of the center. He was examined in the open and not behind closed doors.

Is there any law (statutory or quasi) that prohibit a student enrolling in two different universities in Nigeria? None.As I pounder over what should have given rise to the despicable writeup, I am forced to question the rational for the illusionary exposition that was disguised as an attempt to cleanup a systemic decay. The emerging questions are:Is Professor Abiodun having an axe to grind with Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative.Was Professor Abiodun Ojo simply writing out of conviction for a systemic cleanup? If yes why the undue concentration on the person of Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative: an articulate and hardworking middle age politician.Was Professor Abiodun Ojo paid to dance naked in the market place: this appears to be the case. My candid opinion is that there is the need to caution him not to bring politics into the classroom. Questioning the status quo will provide answers to these questions.

*Akongbowa Bramwell Amadasun is a Professor of Public Administration and Political Economy,Federal University Wukari, Wukari, Taraba State.