After Fighting Fake Native Doctors, Soludo Vows to Confront Certificate Forgers

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has declared that once the November 8 governorship election is concluded, his administration will shift focus to tackling the menace of certificate forgery in the state.

The governor made this known in Awka during the weekend while speaking at the official inauguration of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Governorship Campaign Council. He stressed that Anambra cannot afford to allow fraudulent practices such as forged academic qualifications to continue unchecked.

According to Soludo, a running mate to a governorship candidate from a major political party is allegedly parading a fake PhD certificate, an act he described as deceitful and damaging to society. He warned that such fraudulent claims mislead the youth into believing that academic success can be bought rather than earned through genuine hard work and dedication.

Although he refrained from mentioning the name of the individual or political party involved, the governor maintained that such acts undermine the values of education and morality. He linked the issue of fake certificates to the same moral decay that drove him to launch a campaign against fake native doctors in Anambra State.

“We cannot continue to allow this kind of deception in our society. If you want a degree or a PhD, you must work for it. Buying certificates from unrecognized institutions confuses our young people and sets a terrible example,” Soludo stated.

He explained further that during the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) form submission process, candidates are required to list their qualifications. However, this particular running mate only declared a school certificate and a PhD—without evidence of a diploma, bachelor’s, or master’s degree in between.

Investigations, according to Soludo, revealed that the so-called doctorate degree was obtained from a non-accredited foreign institution that sells certificates for as low as $60. He emphasized that such an institution lacks recognition from both the United States accrediting bodies and Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC).

Soludo argued that honesty would have been better:
“If the running mate had simply declared a school certificate and backed it up with a court affidavit, it would have been acceptable. But jumping from a school certificate to a PhD from nowhere is unacceptable.”

The governor reiterated his commitment to sanitizing the system, noting that his administration had already declared war on fake native doctors who defraud people with false promises of wealth. After the election, he said, a similar decisive action would be taken against certificate forgers across the state.

“After the November 8 election, we will extend the fight to those parading fake academic qualifications. The work of rebuilding Anambra requires truth, morality, and discipline. We will not shy away from this responsibility,” Soludo concluded.