Talk about a scandal-ravished brand, Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah perfectly fits the bill. While many Nigerians are still finding it hard to believe that our Aviation Minster bought an armoured car of N255 million in a country where majority of the citizens live below N180 per day, news of another scandal regarding Oduah’s academic qualifications hit the front burner two days ago. Her claim of a Masters degree from St. Paul’s College in the United States was found to be a big lie.
This revelation left a trace of falsehood in the Stella Oduah brand which the media has successfully feasted on. Just yesterday, an investigation into claims in the Minister’s credentials was carried out by Premium Times, and another big lie was detected; she was said to have lied in the resume she submitted to the Senate in 2011.
In a 7-page resume distributed to senators during her confirmation hearing on July 2, 2011, Oduah had claimed that she got an honorary Doctorate degree from Pacific Christian University, Glendale, California, in the United States in 1998, but investigation by Premium Times suggests that no university called Pacific Christian University exists in the United States. This reminds Nigerians of the Salisu Buhari scandal.
Following these revelations, the minister is said to have edited all her online profiles including her Wikipedia page. The new profiles only show Oduah’s education qualification, without any reference to the universities she attended.
A single false claim is enough to devalue a brand but the Stella Oduah brand seem to have an uncommon immunity. At this juncture, one cannot help but throw this question to President Goodluck Jonathan and whoever it may concern: how many scandals deserve a sack?
