FG’s sacking of fake degree holders from Benin, Togo varsities commendable- Enekwechi

Chairman of Tinubu Media Volunteer and a member of the defunct Tinubu Presidential Campaign (Media) for the 2023 presidential election, Chukwudi Enekwechi, speaks on key policy decisions of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration since assumption of office on May 29, 2023, among others issues, in this interview with Vincent Egunyanga
What is the philosophy behind the Tinubu Media Volunteer?
The philosophy of Tinubu Media Volunteer is to promote the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s government. He can deliver on his campaign promises, presently turning the economy around. Yes, there are hardships associated with such a turnaround, but you see, for a long time, Nigerians have lived what the President once described as fake. So the removal of fuel subsidy is one of the areas that the President needs to redirect our focus, Nigeria’s focus to the accurate reality of the economy, and then the floating of the Naira has also brought our currency to its actual level, to equilibrium level. So, this President means well. If you look at the infrastructural amenities provided in all six geo-political zones of the country, especially in the area of roads, you will be amazed. The Federal Ministry of Works delivered road projects that had been abandoned over the past 40 years. Come to the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT is something else regarding actual development. Minister Nyesom Wike has, within the past year, demonstrated that in politics, the impossible can be possible as far as infrastructural facilities are concerned. I have been in Abuja for more than 31 years, but these days, I find it difficult to know where I am going because of the number of roads, bridges, and culverts being constructed. He is turning the city around, making it an international city. A town that foreign Heads of State and Diplomats can call a global city. So, I commend the FCT Minister for his hard work, foresight, and patriotism in ensuring that Abuja becomes a befitting city for all. Apart from the infrastructure, Wike is also helping tackle the situation of insecurity. He had given about 50 vehicles to the Police and other security agencies, ensuring criminals were shown the way out of the city. I believe that in three or four years’ time, Abuja will be what our forefathers dreamt of. An international city.
Are you surprised that he had always been known as Mr Projects?
No, I am not surprised because while he was governor of Rivers State, he did a lot of projects. Practically, almost every week, projects were commissioned. Many dignitaries were coming from different parts of the country to commission projects, which was unprecedented; that was a landmark. I don’t see any governor in Nigeria today who could be compared to Nyesom Wike, and that’s exactly what he has come to Abuja to replicate.
What would you say struck you most in President Tinubu’s administration?
First, we commend the administration’s decision to sack civil servants in the Federal Civil Service who obtained fake degrees from some private universities in Benin Republic and Togo. You see, most universities do not have a license or accreditation from their host countries. It is also reprehensible that some Nigerians who claimed to have obtained academic degrees know the same to be fake and manoeuvre their way into the Nigerian Civil Service. The question is what quality of service they will offer in their places of work. We want to state without equivocation that acquiring the Golden Fleece must follow a rigorous process for which the academic environment is well known. Regrettably, some unscrupulous Nigerians, in a bid to gain undue advantage in the public service, rush to Benin Republic and Togo to acquire all kinds of fake degrees, sometimes within six months or one year. We, therefore, applaud the decision to fire such degree holders by the Federal Government as it falls within the purview of President Tinubu’s administration policy to fight corruption in all its ramifications. This is a clear indication that only a government is concerned with the country’s education quality and our children’s future. The Tinubu administration has sanitized our educational system and subjected academic credentials to rigorous scrutiny and credibility. Unless the menace is tackled, the country will be inundated with tainted academic credentials that will undermine the plan of the administration to grow to a $1trn economy. We believe the vision of Mr President for Nigeria to attain a one trillion Dollar Economy cannot be achieved without knowledge-based civil service. Another issue that struck us most about the administration was the decision of the federal government to offset the debts Nigeria owed to the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). For us, the payment demonstrates the commitment of the Tinubu administration to the community. It also shows the President understands the pivotal role of Nigeria in the community. In the future, Nigeria will once again begin to garner the respect of other ECOWAS countries and the international community based on President Tinubu’s understanding of the enormous role Nigeria could play in regional and global affairs.