I Am Getting Warmed Up.

The fact remains that there are hundreds of our rulers and politicians today parading around either without the minimum academic requirements or certificates or with forged or bought ones. We know them and they know themselves, and this is why the country is in the state it is today.

There is no way a person who gained a position of trust or government with false or no credentials will perform creditably in government, neither will he/she not be corrupt, because that was the whole essence of lying yourself into power.

But having said this, what about those who DO have the required certificates, having authentically gone through decades of education and have achieved academic success and recognition, but once they get to power, political or public, have proven that they are no better than the thugs and criminals with forged and no certificates? In fact, maybe even worse?

Nigeria is replete with both examples. Look at them spilling all over each other in the Senate, House of Rep, State Houses of Assembly and the local government with their mostly educated-illiterate, obsequious and immoral chairmen, whose sole aim in politics is to steal as much as they can.

A Catch-22 situation, if you ask me.

And believe me, countrymen and women, this is not about PDP, APC, Labour or whatever. Nor is about UPN or NPN; nor about SPN and NDP or whatever bullshit no-ideological political party you wanna call it. It is not about Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa or Moslem and Christian. It is not even about black or white.

It is about a delinquent and depraved society that we created for ourselves, live in and now finding it difficult to change or escape from.

And now we are being frivolous and mischievous about certificates for a much decorated, retired army general, former Head of State of the country, former Federal minister, chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund, and serial election-contestant (now contesting for the fourth time) when we should be talking about issues of much concern and that will be beneficial to moving the country from the doldrums and misery to which it had descended in the last 4 decades.

I am proud to say I am a man of many certificates, littering my study walls in my house, but I often wonder where and how has those my certificates contributed meaningfully to the welfare and betterment of my people, and here I am still, trying to get some crumbs to feed my family from those who do not have as many, or none of the certificates as I do.

Akintokunbo A Adejumo MSc, Dip Mngt, CIHM, MCMI, FITP, MIH