Residents of Taraba State on Thursday urged Governor Agbu Kefas to suspend his Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Joseph Joshua, to face justice over the alleged Cotonou degree certificate and maintain his government reputation.
The Nigerian Tribune reports that Sulaiman Adamu of Jalingo local government had, on January 15, 2024, petitioned the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports before the Director, Department of State Security Services (DSS), Taraba State Command, to investigate the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Information Technology with Second Class (Upper Division) obtained by Joseph Joshua from the University of Benin Republic in 2021.
The Tribune also reports that Joshua had, during the commissioner nominee screening in Jalingo, presented a B.Sc certificate obtained from Benin Republic in 2021 before the Taraba State House of Assembly.
Mr. Adamu asserts in the petition that the Commissioner never traveled to Benin Republic for studies and, as such, should be sacked as Commissioner in the state.
The Tribune also reports that the federal government had suspended the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo. This decision followed a shocking undercover report published by an online media organization (Daily Nigerian), which exposed the ease with which a reporter acquired a degree from Cotonou University within six weeks and subsequently participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
Following these developments, residents of the state are calling on Governor Agbu Kefas to suspend the commissioner and allow security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation on the matter to maintain his government reputation.
Mr. Joshua Panunga, Ayuba Kirim, and Buba Alhassan, who spoke to journalists, urged Governor Kefas to ask the commissioner to step aside and defend the petition against him.
“We wish to appeal to Governor Agbu Kefas to suspend his Commissioner for Youth and Sports and allow security to carry out an investigation into the petition against him.
“We are not against the commissioner, but he should prove to the public that he genuinely attended the university and obtained the certificate as claimed. We want Governor Kefas to suspend him to maintain his government reputation,” the residents urged.
Meanwhile, Mr Joseph Joshua, the state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, has since the day of the petition, declined to comment on the development.