RHETORICS WEEKLY SPECIAL

What Is A Certificate? – Rhetorics

At this point in Nigerian history, it is uneasily funny how an educational certificate has chosen to remain elusive, like Bigfoot, like a Yeti, everyone has heard about it, but no one has seen it. How did we get here?
I vividly remember during the lead up to the 2015 General Elections, General Muhammad Buhari repeatedly told anyone who cares to listen that his WAEC certificate was with the Nigerian Army. A section of his supporters defended him saying the Army was getting political and supporting President Goodluck Jonathan and hiding PMB’s Certificate. Were they?
Really. Were they? Because here we are four years down the line, President Buhari has been President for three years now, was that not enough time to look for the certificate?
If truly, the certificate is with the Nigerian Army, and one man had been assigned to go through physical copies of certificates at the Army Headquarters, if said man had started on May 29, 2015, wouldn’t he have found said certificate by now?
After the debacle arising from Kemi Adeosun’s fake NYSC discharge certificate scandal, didn’t the President’s handlers realize that Mr President’s case was going to come up again?
Where does the idea of a President having a Master’s degree or its equivalent nullify the question of “where is your secondary school certificate”? Why is logic and reasoning conveniently shelved when it suits us?
Why will you choose to put yourself on the wrong side of history for a nice fee? Do you care what your grandchildren will think about you when they watch you talk nonsense on YouTube in the next twenty years? How will you look them in the eyes when they question your morals?
If we have decided that WAEC certificates are optional, what was the fuss about Honourable Adeleke? Shouldn’t we reject Kemi Adeosun’s resignation? Why don’t we just rewrite the constitution and take out educational qualifications all together?
To get any other job, you need a certificate, but when you run for the highest political office in Nigeria, you can gladly tell your followers “Who WAEC done help?”

Wilson Joshua is a Video Editor, Content Creator and Creative Writer.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. @IJoswil