Certificates Are Useless, Even Our Leaders Don’t Have It – Another Nigerian Graduate Burnt University, Other Degrees
Nigerian graduate and Edo State indigene, Alvin Ilenre, who recently trended on the internet for burning his degree certificate and other credentials, has said that he burnt his credentials because they are useless to him.
Ilenre in an interview wondered that many of them (politicians) in power did not have academic results and are able to manouevre their way into governance.
In a recent viral video, Ilenre was seen in a video burning some documents he confirmed to be his degree certificate and other credentials.
He added that he studied History and International Studies at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo State, adding that he had been out of jobs since February 2022.
Speaking with PUNCH, he said, “I just hustle basically. Before then, I had done several things here and there but that’s it for me. Those were things I did before. Right now, I’m unemployed. That’s it for who I am for now.”
Ilenre, who confirmed that he truly burnt his degree certificate and other credentials said that “I burnt them because I was going through some things and I needed to give myself closure. That was why I burnt them.
“I didn’t know where I dropped my secondary school certificate amid all these, but the certificates I burnt were my university, primary school leaving, and National Youth Service Corps certificates.”
Ilenre, who said he is a trained minister of God, however noted that “There were certificates I didn’t burn. I didn’t burn the certificates from the ministry, because I was impacted by the grace of God over there so, I never burnt those. But I burnt the educational certificates that are useless in the country.”
He further stated that the reason “I burnt the certificates is not far-fetched from the kind of society we are in and a lot of people in the country can relate to these things that we’re talking about here. It is frustrating being in a country where your certificate is not regarded.
“We’re in a country where a certificate has been bastardised. We behave like we don’t know what’s happening whereas the country is decaying.
“I graduated from school and I wanted to get a job, but someone was telling me to go and bring N2.5million. Where will I get that from? Where should I get it from? Where will I get N2.5million to get a job?
“If I had that money with me, wouldn’t I start a business, or maybe go outside the country, to one African country where electricity is steady and start a business? You can’t start a business in this country and your millions will not go down the drain.
“I have had issues with people, friends, especially female friends, who told me that they were offered jobs on the condition that they would have sexual relationships with the employers or whoever wanted to make it happen.
“Jobs are not gotten with credibility, credence and authenticity again. It is now who can sleep their way to employment. These are things that are happening.
“At least, I went to school and it was only my certificates that I burnt. If I approach an employer for a job and they doubt my qualifications, they can go to the university. The university will prove that I graduated from the school.
“At least, I am better than some persons whose studentships cannot be authenticated by the universities they claim to have attended. So, those are the things we’re talking about.”
Ilenre lamented that “It is sickening. I like doing things the right way but when you want to do things the right way in this country, you are seen as a fool and are neglected. These are decays in society that we’re not talking about. Military jobs are by slots; then, what are we talking about?”
According to him, private businesses are running out of the country, and when people want to do business, they are not sure of its survival “because there is no light, no road, no basic infrastructure.
“So that’s the thing, and I’m not the only one on this table, we have a lot of young people on this table who can attest to what I’m talking about. That is part of the reason.”
Speaking further, Ilenre said, “Let’s shake all the tables and speak truth to power. How many of them (politicians) in power truly have (academic) results? You will go to school for years in Nigeria – five years, six years, without graduation. However, their children are taken abroad for studies.
“When they go abroad and finish in time at the same age when you’re still languishing in school, they’ll get jobs in the civil service and get level 12. When you finally graduate after many years, you’ll now struggle to get a government job and when you do, what you would get is level eight. Let’s look at our educational system and talk to ourselves.”
Add Comment