Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State is facing allegations of involvement in a cover-up regarding the authenticity of a university certificate held by Akaniyene Tommey Ikott, the Transition Committee Chairman of Eket Local Government Area.
The University of Calabar has officially disavowed a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work certificate bearing Ikott’s name, categorically stating that it is a forgery.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Governor Eno has been using his position to conceal the truth about Ikott’s academic credentials.
For instance, sources told SaharaReporters that a petition was raised to the state police commissioner in April 2024 but the investigation was suppressed by the governor.
A reply by the school’s Registrar, Gabriel O. Egbe to a further investigation by a U.S Attorney, confirms that Mr Ikott forged the university’s certificate.
A court certified copy of a University of Calabar degree certificate with registration number 07/BSW-4/030 allegedly issued on November 11, 2015, reportedly claims that Ikott holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from the University of Calabar.
However, a letter of disclaimer from the Registrar of the University of Calabar, Gabriel O. Egbe, Reference No. UC/AD/AM.27B, dated July 23, 2024, declared the certificate as fake.
The letter titled ‘Request For Verification Of Mr. Akaniyene Tommey Ikott’s Academic Records And Studentship Status With The University Of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria,’ was addressed to a U.S. Attorney Sara Sass of SASS Law LLC, of No. 8647 Richmond Highway, VA, Washington DC.
The letter obtained by SaharaReporters reads in part: “Ikott, Akaniyene Tommey was a student in the Department of Social Work of this University.
“He was admitted in the 2007/2008 academic session.
“According to his Head of Department and records available, he still has some failed courses to remedy. Therefore, the attached claimed certificate is fake and did not emanate from this University.”
One of the sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that following the confirmation of Ikott’s certificate as fake, “a petition was filed to Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police in April 2024 but the state governor, Eno suppressed the supposed police investigation”.
“We hear the governor has also made moves to compromise records in the University of Calabar,” the source added.
Ikott, a chairmanship aspirant is Governor’s Eno’s preferred candidate for the Eket Local Government in the October elections, sources said.
Already, Ikott has reportedly been endorsed by the governor as the sole chairmanship candidate for Eket in the upcoming local government elections scheduled for October 26.
“A reply by the school’s Registrar to a further investigation by a U.S Attorney confirms that Mr Ikott forged the university’s certificate.
“But as soon as the Blueprint recently published the story, the agents of the state abducted the reporter, but released her immediately they felt that the news of the abduction would go viral.
“This was last week. But the police keep inviting the reporter to the police station where they milk her dry and threaten her to stop further reporting of the story,” one of the sources told SaharaReporters.
Indeed, on August 2, 2024, Blueprint reported that the management of University of Calabar had declared a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work certificate bearing the name of Mr. Akaniyene Tommey Ikott as fake.
Despite multiple attempts, SaharaReporters was unable to obtain a response from Governor Eno’s administration regarding the allegations.
Calls to the Chief Press Secretary, Ekerete Udoh’s mobile phone went unanswered, and messages sent to his WhatsApp were read but not responded to.
Similarly, efforts to reach the state Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobo, were unsuccessful, as calls to his mobile phone were not answered, and text and WhatsApp messages sent to him remained unresponded to at the time of filing this report.
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