Dr Ibe Kachikwu has described as false and baseless report making rounds that he claimed graduating from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), with a First Class degree.
The minister made the clarification in a statement signed by the Director of Press in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Idang Alibi, in Abuja, on Thursday.
Alibi said at no time did Kachikwu claim that he graduated with a First Class from the UNN.
He said that the minister graduated from the institution with a Second Class Honours (Upper Division) degree from the Faculty of Law in 1978, and also emerged the best student.
“The assertions in the publication are wrong and baseless and a careful check with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources would have cleared this misrepresentation.
“By every measurement index, the Minister has performed outstandingly in his school work and has records to show for it,” he said.
He further stated that the ministry observed that Kachikwu’s Wikipedia page had been tampered with recently, by unknown persons, and might have been re-edited for sinister purposes.
“On the Wikipedia page that was cited in the report, it would be expedient to note that Wikipedia cannot be used as an authentic source of referencing or verification of facts.
“Considering that anybody that has access to a Wikipedia page can also edit same to suit any narrative they want to claim or push.
“To buttress this fact, we have noted that Dr. Kachikwu’s page has recently been re-edited recently by persons unknown to him and to us,” he said.
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