Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate for the Labour Party, has warned Nigerians not to justify unverified academic credentials. He believes that this practice could weaken standards and accountability in the nation.
In a statement titled, “By Making Excuses for Unverified Certificates, We Are Planting Poison in the Soul of Our Society,” Obi emphasized that this issue should not be seen through the lens of political loyalty or support for specific people.
He pointed out that a nation allowing unverified academic credentials at any leadership level risks damaging the standards upon which society is founded.
Obi stated, “This matter isn’t about one person. It’s about maintaining standards, ensuring accountability, and upholding values we want to pass on to future generations.”
He insisted that questionable, missing, blurry, or unverified academic credentials should not be excused simply because they belong to individuals backed by certain political groups.
Obi highlighted that how individuals achieve their positions of responsibility is just as crucial as how well they perform in those roles.
“We cannot continue to excuse blurred, missing, questionable, or unverified credentials simply because they belong to someone we support,” he said.
Obi cautioned that making it normal to skip basic verification could set a risky example for the country.
“If we normalise the abandonment of basic verification today, tomorrow we may have professors who never attended a university, doctors who never studied medicine, and judges who never studied law,” he said.
He called for a system where truth takes priority over political ties, standards are maintained, and everyone is held accountable equally.
“History will judge us not only by those we defended, but by the principles we were willing to defend,” Obi said.
He encouraged Nigerians to prioritize truth instead of convenience, uphold standards rather than emotions, and focus on the future instead of short-term political gains.
He believes a new Nigeria is achievable, but only if citizens are willing to stand up for what is right, even when it’s not easy.
