In the ongoing Senate screening session, Joseph Terlumun Utsev, one of the ministerial nominees, faced questions regarding key dates on his educational credentials and he was unable to convincingly respond.
Godswill Akabio, the senate president pointed out the discrepancy in the date of birth and the date of obtaining his first school leaving certificate.
During his address to the senators present, Utsev explained that he attended primary school in 1984 and obtained his first leaving certificate in 1989. He then proceeded to secondary school from 1990 to 1995, followed by earning his senior school certificate examination (SSCE) in 1995. Subsequently, he graduated in 2004 with his tertiary institution certificate, mentioning that a prolonged ASUU strike caused his graduation to be delayed.
However, the Senate President raised concerns over the biodata provided by the nominee.
“Notably, the nominee’s birth year was listed as 1980, and according to the provided dates, he would have started school at the remarkably young age of three and completed primary school at the age of 9 in 1989. Professor Ustev must be exceptionally brilliant,” Akpabio said.
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In response to the raised concern, Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South Senatorial District, suggested that there might be typographical errors in the nominee’s resume.
“Records don’t lie and I believe that Professor Ustev has sufficiently explained himself,” he said.
Taking the nominee’s explanation into account, Akpabio, expressed the need for the nominee to review his certificates to verify any possible typographical errors. He acknowledged the lengthy list of nominees to be screened that day, urging Professor Ustev to ensure the accuracy of his certificates.
