By Ikugbadi Oluwasegun
The African Church is currently enmeshed in a certificate scandal levelled against the primate, Most Rev. Julius Olayinka-Abbe.
As a result of this allegation, stakeholders in the church have advised the primate to step down as the leader of the congregation pending the response of relevant agencies concerned.
It was alleged that the primate submitted illicit certificates to gain the primate position has continued to unsettle the Church.
Rev. Cannon Richard Peter, Spokesman for the stakeholders told newsmen in Lagos that, the church’s growth since ten years has been retarded as a result of issues surrounding the fake certificate issue.
Peter, an Uyo Akwa Ibom Province based leader, said that, due to the inglorious incident, the primate has not been able to call the church management meetings.
He said that, the Primate was being accused of submitting three Masters of Art degrees prior to his elevation to Archbishop in Christian Religion from the Lagos State University (LASU) that the church suspected the certificate was neither issued by the claimed institution nor was it authentic.
He added that the problems started in 2015 when the church introduced the cadre of Archbishop in the clerical order of the church. That the body set up a Screening Committee to consider Bishops for election as Archbishops.
He stressed that Primate Abbe first submitted a 2001 Masters degree certificate when the committee queried the 2001 certificate on the ground that there was no convocation in LASU in 2001 and as such, the university could not have issued any certificate in 2001.
He further said that Primate Abbe was admitted for a masters programme in 2000 but his classmates graduated and had their convocation in 2004, he noted that when the committee queried its authenticity that Abbe subsequently submitted a 2007 certificate and thereafter submitted another 2007 certificate whereas the university had no convocation in 2007 and that Abbe’s name was not in the list of graduands approved by senate of LASU at any particular time.
He cited that all the certificates that Abbe submitted to the screening committee of the church,three in all were signed by Prof. John Obafunwa as Vice Chancellor whereas,Prof.John Obafunwa became LASU Vice Chancellor in 2011 and ended his tenure in 2015.
He noted that Abbe was alleged to have an academic trancript of 1999, which translates to having an academic record a year before he was offered admission in 2000.
He said that a very reliable source indicated that Primate Abbe became an Archbishop on the basis of those suspicious certificates and was reported to have privately confessed to Rev. Canon Buki Okunowo, after becoming an Archbishop and the grand patron of the church that he does not have the claimed masters degree.
According to him, the Church has the Executive Committee meeting, National Conference meeting, Quarterly Management Council meeting, General meeting and others that the primate has declined to convene.
“The primate lacks the moral strength to seat together with other leaders of the church in those meetings to pilot the affairs of the church and we can’t continue to allow someone’s misdeed to envelope the church to a comatose stage.
“With the police ongoing investigation into the matter, it is good that the primate steps aside to enable proper outcome of the investigation,” he said.
Chief Edward Alani-Amosu, an Octogenarian and the Church Historian, said that, as a member of the archbishop/primate screening/selection committee in 2015, the committee report favoured Bishop Ade Ajayi who is now the Archbishop of Ijabu Province of the church, as the most qualified.
Amosu regretted that the committee report was sidelined to enthrone Olayinka-Abbe as archbishop and primate against unpopular wish.
He noted that since then the clamour for the primate exit has continued to rattle the stability of the church.
Another stakeholder, Mr Debo Oduguwa, said that, the subsisting leadership of the church by one alleged to have a criminal record belittles the Church and antithetical to its progress.
Oduguwa, a lawyer by profession, said that the LASU authorities has been contacted since two weeks to clarify the authenticity or otherwise of the certificates.
He appealed to LASU to save the church from further crisis by coming forward with the true state of the matter.
When contacted on the issue, the embattled primate said that he has nothing to say on the matter at present.
The police officer in charge of the investigation at the Alagbon Police station, Insp. Alpha said that, the police have written to LASU for confirmation.
He further noted that a feedback from the institution is awaited by Wednesday.
