Akwa Ibom Commissioner Nominee Dropped Over Forgery Allegation!

One of the nominees whose names were forwarded to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for screening as commissioners has been dropped.
The Chronicle

can tell you for free that the nominee, a "qualified lawyer" was one of the students expelled from the University of Uyo in the 2002 cleanup exercise by the Prof. Akpan H. Ekpo led-administration against certificate racketeering.

It was discovered during the screening session that the Law Certificate presented by the nominee which he claimed was issued by the University of Uyo, September 20, 2005, showed discrepancies in the signatures of the then Vice Chancellor, Prof. Akaneren I. Essien and that of the then Registrar, Mr. Peter Effiong.

One of the legislators who was surprised by the development disclosed that Prof. Essien assumed office as Vice Chancellor in December of 2005, so he could not have possibly signed a certificate that predates his tenure in office.

The nominee's inability to provide the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) exemption/discharge certificate as stipulated in the nation's constitution for prospective public office holders and employees was also called to question. The nominee was quoted as saying "at any point of need of the said National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Exemption Certificate, I shall refer to the University Records Department."

Findings have revealed that it is a criminal offence punishable by 12 Months imprisonment or a fine of N2000, or both fine and imprisonment for anyone who refuses to make himself available for service in the service corps continuously for one year.
As enshrined in Section 12 (1) (a) and (b) and Section 13 (1) (b) of the NYSC Decree (1993) in Section 315 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), both the offender and accomplice(s) may be imprisoned.