A former schoolmate of vocal senator, Dino Melaye, at the Ahmadu
Bello University, ABU, has said the current certificate scandal he is
facing is self-inflicted, Premium Times reports.
Abdussobur Salaam, who now works at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB,
Salaam, who spoke on a Penpushing social media platform also confirmed his comments to the online news medium.
He said he studied Political Science at ABU at the same time Melaye
was a student in the Department of Geography at the university.
“Permit me to make an intervention on the issue of Dino and ABU,
having been admitted and ‘graduated’ from ABU same year as Dino. I use
the word ‘graduated’, very guardedly and with caution.
“Permit me to say that as at the time we were admitted, Geography
Department was under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). In
our 200 level, the Faculty was split and Geography Department had issues
of where to fit in. It was initially placed under Faculty of Arts and
later shifted to Faculty of Sciences where it is presently domiciled.
The narrative on his certificate could be correct”, Mr. Salaam wrote.
“Dino and I are supposed to be ‘friends’ but differences never
permitted while we were in school. Till date, we communicate once in a
while, but I dare say he is the architect of his problems.
“I have spent all yesterday responding to enquiries on different platforms about Dino’s status as a graduate. My take?
“We were admitted the same year, initially into the same faculty of
FASS, and given that our courses were four years, we ought to have
graduated same year.
“However, recalling how studentship in ABU was that period, you could never be too sure of the academic status of any ‘student’.
“What do I mean? We had ‘students’ who were always around, attended
lectures, participated in all student activities, were allocated hostel
space, were always holding files and feigning academic seriousness, only
for an issue to come up and you would find out that despite your having
known them for years, they were never students but just lived pseudo
student lives!”
Salaam said during their time at ABU their were many fake students who disguised as authentic ones.
“If they were never discovered, 20 years time, if a controversy arose
as to their status, one would swear confidently that the person
graduated!”, he stated.
“While this is not exactly the same with Dino, you cannot be too sure until facts are unearthed.
“I know for a fact that we were admitted together. I am aware that he
was very active in student political circles, though he has attempted
to insinuate that he was SUG president to shore up his political
profile. Unfortunately, during our time, under the reign of Uncle K,
(General Kontagora as Sole Administrator) the student Union was
proscribed, so that claim cannot stick! He lied on that!
“As President of Geography students, I am aware that he was
impeached. I also know that he had fraud related issues with the Kogi
State Students Association and Segun Halilu personally had lamented to
me about this, then.
“I remember that he wanted to join the OAU students club then, and we
blocked his membership, knowing his tendencies to cause confusion and
take over the structure of the club for personal ends”.
Speaking further, Salaam said it is only the records of ABU that can
state whether Melaye was a bonafide graduate of the university.
“On his status as a graduate, only the records can tell. For all you
know, he may have had a few unresolved carry-overs. Knowing Dino, he may
have bluffed, paid or manipulated the system to ensure those records
are obliterated.
“If not, recall that given the circumstances of our year set, many
concessions/waivers were given to ensure that we graduated, having spent
almost double the statutory length of years we should spend. Dino may
just have been such a beneficiary of waivers. It is however not our
place to tell, but the truth will unfold itself”, Mr. Salaam stressed.
“As a political scientist, what I see is a class fragmentation
struggle. An in-house struggle within the elite class. Saraki and Dino
are the subjects of attack today for takeover of the National Assembly.
They may get over it or it may consume them.
“However, I do not have my sympathy for him (Mr. Melaye) because he
is also a master in the art of subterfuge, blackmail and crude
propaganda. Today, he is a victim of the same method he has adopted over
the years and I am happy to see the tables turn!
“Unfortunately, issues like this have led to the results they were
meant to produce – public hysteria! Everyone is now caught up in debates
about the Dino certificate scandal, or is it Dinogate?
“Everyone includes me! Last two weeks, it was Apostle Suleman. This
week, it is Dino. Who knows who next week will throw up? While we dwell
on personalities, and are distracted by their shenanigans, we continue
to remain victims of the plots and scheming.
“At the end of the day, things like this die off, others take their
place in an endless cycle of politics of personality. While the elite
class continues to regale us with entertainment, the real problems of
underdevelopment, poverty, poor infrastructure, bad governance,
corruption, and other malaise remain! God help Nigeria!”, Mr. Salaam
concluded.
Efforts to reach Melaye on Salaam’s new claims were unsuccessful as the senator refused to pick his call.