Stella Oduah, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation who is embroiled in a scandal of towering proportions in the ministry, faces new integrity questions as her Masters’ degree has been challenged by the United States school which supposedly awarded it.

Her resume, which she presented to the Senate as a ministerial nominee in 2011, indicated she obtained a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from St. Paul’s College Lawrenceville, Virginia, United States.

But SaharaReporters has learned from the President of the college that it has never in its 125-year history had a graduate school or graduate program.

The Provost Vice President of Academic Affairs, and the Vice President of Institutional Development said in response to our inquiries, “We don’t offer any graduate programs here.”

Similarly, the school’s website states: “Saint Paul's College is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate [bachelor’s] degrees.” There is no mention of graduate degrees.

The Minister’s documentation shows she received an undergraduate degree in accounting from the college in 1982, but Dr. Claud Flythe, St. Paul’s current president, could neither confirm nor deny this during a phone conversation with SaharaReporters. Further verification with the Office of Alumni Affairs is also currently impossible, the school said, because the college has been closed since June 2013 to loss of its accreditation.

“[Oduah] realized very early in life the indispensability of a sound education in her growth plans in life and therefore pursued her education with all diligence and sense of purpose,” her documents claimed, adding that a determination “to have the best education at the highest level” prompted her stay at the Virginia college in 1983 for the MBA programme.

As her public relations machinery marched on, in December 2012 The Sun newspaper published an article headlined “Stella Oduah: An Amazon of transformation,” which lauded her “MBA from St Paul’s College, Lawrenceville Virginia USA.” The story also praised her for being an official who brought her “rich educational background to bear on the aviation sector by automating revenue centers in all the agencies and parastatals to boost their revenue profile and enhance transparency and accountability in the system.”

In October, SaharaReporters broke the story that Mrs. Oduah, a former campaign manager for President Goodluck Jonathan, purchased two bulletproof BMW cars worth $ 1.6 Million (N255m) through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, for her own use.

Following an investigation, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation dismissed the Minister’s pleas of innocence and all her rebuttals during her testimony. The committee’s report, which was subsequently adopted by the House, declared that no budgetary appropriation had been made for the purchase of the cars, and that the NCAA proposal for their purchase was rejected.

President Jonathan also set up a three-member administrative panel to investigate the matter, but he immediately travelled out of the country with Mrs. Oduah and Colonel Dasuki, the National Security Adviser who was to serve as a member of the panel. Not only did the panel submit its report much later than the two weeks it was given for the assignment, Mr. Jonathan has refused to release its report.

Mrs. Oduah’s new certificate questions are certain to feed into national concern about her credibility as an elected official, but also about Mr. Jonathan’s credibility, and about the nation’s security apparatus which verifies official documents offered to the Senate for official nominations.

If Mrs. Oduah deliberately deceived the Senate, it remains to be seen if the Upper House will be sufficiently motivated to take up the matter with the Executive.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s aviation industry continues to face a massive challenge, with struggling airports and airlines, as well as financial and administrative pitfalls that hinder expansion and development.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/us-college-says-it-did-not-award-mba-stella-oduah-it-has-no-masters-programme

Oops! I have a feeling this post will generate serious 'HEAT' soon. But why Stella again?


And the 'HEAT' is on.......(Modified)

Good investigative work by Sahara reporters

Double Wahala For Deadi Bodi

No Be Small Thing For The Global Best Aviation Minister How Are The Mighty Fallen

Where is Kim Jong Un( The North Korea Guy) When You Need Him!Please Nigeria has food for your dogs

I really don't know what she is still doing in government.

This attack against Ndigbo must be resisted by all sons and daughters of Ndigbo....

[size=20pt] Omo see gohbay [/size]

Promhize: Sahara reporters go and die! Where is the evidence that the school refuted her claims.

Checked ur yeye site, no link to the school's website or any hard evidence, just stupid claims about what so, so and so said, not even names of the so-called provost vice president of academic affairs and vice president of institutional development were mentioned.

I say once again go and die!

Bros, I can only shake my head for you....
What a pity

Most Colleges in the U.S do not award masters degrees/PhDs...
Only Universities do...

Stella goofed big time on this one...

Garri the 1st: This attack against Ndigbo must be resisted by all sons and daughters of Ndigbo....

This has nothing to do with tribe, race or gender. The school doesn't offer a master program. Please be objective and reasonable for once.

Enough Work For The Newly Engaged Sure-P Beneficiaries Oya Where Una Dey Make Una Come Justify Una Christmas Bonus ;

1. Insinere9igerian
2. Magic Bishop
3. Jmaine
4. Taharqa
5. Altwiless
6. Obiagu1
7. Ngwakwe
8. Odua Boy
9. Octopus1
10. Chukwudi44
11. Team GEJ
12. Patriotic007
13. deletrue
14. Strangest
15. One Naira
16. Kponkwem
17.Nashville
18. Chubie
19.Gratiaeo
20.Solomon111

Sahara Reporters,
You guys are on point.
Well meaning Nigerians are really appreciative of your ever efficient journalistic efforts.
Thank you.

rockbase360:

http://saintpaulsnet.com/?page_id=500

http://saintpaulsnet.com/

The school doesn't offer a masters program....

Thanks for the links, so she added Masters degree after getting her in Bsc in same school, interesting!

Let's wait and hear what she has to say. If this is found to be true, then she should be sacked with immediate effect, the senate too has to questioned for gross incompetence.

I'm sure there are scores of legislators, ministers, even governors with fake certificates.

Garri the 1st: This attack against Ndigbo must be resisted by all sons and daughters of Ndigbo....

You do need your head properly examined for talking this trash.

joromi:

Bros, I can only shake my head for you....
What a pity

Colleges in the U.S do not award masters degrees/PhDs...
Only Universities do...

Stella goofed big time on this one...

Sahara reporters shouldn't have been so lazy not add links and names to the article.

Wow. If this is true, then that's extremely dishonest. I'd like to see this story get more attention to see if she (or anyone else) can explain this.

Garri the 1st: This attack against Ndigbo must be resisted by all sons and daughters of Ndigbo....

The Woman That Gave Us Enugu International Airport

Infact some tribes need to cover their face in shame!...no apology to anyone cos I didn't mention the tribe(s)..with all this they will still find her not guilty...its just too pathetic!!!

Honestly I'd like to hear her response, there's nothing wrong in having a Bachelor, but adding extra that's nonexistent is wrong. Well, let's wait for her response.

Promhize:

Sahara reporters shouldn't have been so lazy not add links and names to the article.

Dont be Lazy Boy! Help yourself with the free MB from Reno! Go to google and find out!

rockbase360:

http://saintpaulsnet.com/?page_id=500

http://saintpaulsnet.com/


The school doesn't offer a master's program.

What excuse? I don't give a 'two' about stella oduah or any other minister, only questioned the article.

The school itself seems like a fraud, its lost its accreditation since June 2013 but its website is still up and no notice about the school being closed

manny4life: Honestly I'd like to hear her response, there's nothing wrong in having a Bachelor, but adding extra that's nonexistent is wrong. Well, let's wait for her response.

Well Said!

SaharaReporters are big time liars! They are paid agents of APC, so they are anti-government.

Stella must defend herself here! Sen. Hope Uzordinma should also be ready to face his own scandal. He has been running his mouth for some days now, undermining his certificate scandal.

Stealer Odua Is A Fraudster, A Certificate Forger, And A Thief All Rolled Into One

rockbase360: This has nothing to do with tribe, race or gender. Lets be objective and reasonable. I am hoping that this news is not true. She needs to respond to this allegation.

Pathetic!

Clerverly:

Dont be Lazy Boy! Help yourself with the free MB from Reno! Go to google and find out!

Watch ur mouth

from thief to fraudster.

before you know it, alaigbo people will flood this thread, with their ''she is our daughter'' slogan

We should not even expect less from a tribe, that celebrate criminality and with get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome.

The woman is a disgrace to womanhood.

Promhize:

Guy, why did you modify this post? You initially thought PPP agents would help you out?? The bashing was too much, that's why you modified it. Try and think before posting a comment, next time.

superstar1: from thief to fraudster.

before you know it, alaigbo people will flood this thread, with their ''she is our daughter'' slogan

We should not even expect less from a tribe, taht celebrate criminality and with get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome.

The woman is a disgrace to Eve.

Please enough with the holier-than-do attitude, so yes she embellished her resume (which hasn't been confirmed), you're here ranting and calling her names... Please enough with the BS.

donphilopus: Guy, why did you modify this post? You initially thought PPP agents would help you out?? The bashing was too much, that's why you modifies it. Try and think before posting a comment, next time.

What's your problem? Op did well to provide links to the schools website, exactly what I demanded in my post.