Babatunde Larinde: First Nigerian Politician to Be Tried for Certificate Forgery
- Babatunde Larinde appeared to be the first Nigerian politician to face historic certificate forgery charges in Nigeria's political landscape
- The surge of certificate forgery allegations since since his time in 1990s have impacted political integrity and public trust
- This is as former Minister Uche Nnaji's resignation from President Bola Tinubu's administration added to the ongoing scandal of academic credential forgery
Babatunde Larinde might be the first Nigerian politician to have been docked over the allegation of certificate forgery in the country's history. This is coming amid the backlash over the certificate forgery allegation that rocked the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
In a report by The African Guardian and archived by archive.ng, the allegation of certificate forgery became rampant in the country in 1993, and employers, universities and government agencies struggled to separate genuine qualifications from fake ones.
According to the report, Larinde was the chairman of the Lagos Mainland Local Government when he was docked for forging his Master's and PhD certificates from Germany's University of Siegen. He was accused of using the forged certificate to contest the 1991 council elections in the state.
The report further indicated that WAEC detected 258 forged certificates in 1990, 157 in 1991, and 286 in 1992, while warning that many more went undetected. The report also cited nine students expelled from the Rivers State School of Health Technology for certificate forgery and an investigation into fake credentials at the University of Calabar.
Officials blamed weak verification systems and gaps in the law, saying certificate forgers were difficult to prosecute because existing legislation focused on examination malpractice, not forged certificates.
The report reads in part:
"It was a climax of sorts for the recurring problem of certificate forgery. Lagos Mainland Local Government chairman, Dr Babatunde Larinde, was dragged before the Lagos High Court on January 13, on a four-count charge of forgery and altering a Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) certificates of the University of Siegen, Germany, between 1986 and 1991.
"He was also alleged to have used both degrees to seek clearance from the National Electoral Commission (NEC) to contest bye-elections into the chairmanship of the council in 1991. Larinde, of course, still has the chance to defend himself in the law court."
The report was shared days after Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology under the administration of President Tinubu. The former minister is being investigated over claims that he falsified academic credentials and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge documents submitted during his 2023 ministerial screening.
There were months of scrutiny surrounding Nnaji’s credentials, including earlier investigative reports and debate over their authenticity. He later stepped down from his ministerial position after the allegations became public. Legit.ng reported that Nnaji is being tried before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the forgery allegation. The suit was filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Source: Legit.ng
