One of Nigeria’s most controversial senators, Dino Melaye, during a live television interview today declined to answer whether he graduated from Harvard University.
The senator, who had previously claimed that he earned degrees from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and London School of Economics (LSE) in London, ducked pointed questions on the veracity of his claim during an interview on Friday on Channels Television.
The senator, who hails from Kogi State, refused to give an answer, telling the presenter that he did not want to be ridiculed.
The anchor of the program, “Politics Today,” Seun Akinbaloye, asked Melaye, “Did you graduate from Harvard? You said you have seven degrees altogether.”
Instead of offering a definite answer, Mr. Melaye went on a petty attack on another guest featured in the program.
After his rigmarole, the anchor fired a related question, “Did you have certificate now?” When Senator Melaye answered, “Yes,” the anchor followed up with, “Did you have a certificate course in Harvard or you had a degree course in Harvard?”
Rather than answer the question, Mr. Melaye went on a digression. “I believe in investigative journalism, and I am not going to be ridiculed on the platform of a television station,” he said.
He added: “It is not a question and answer series, whatever I have is mine.”
Officials at Harvard University and London School had told SaharaReporters that Mr. Melaye never received any degree from their respective institution.
Mr. Melaye’s refusal to answer the direct question about his academic relationship with the two foreign-based universities may signal his decision to walk away from his earlier unfounded claims to being a graduate of both prestigious universities.
See the video below,