On Wednesday, Citizens Initiative for Better Nigeria (CIBN) Demanded the National Assembly to Institute a Probe Committee and Public Hearing over the True Identity of Chief Timipre Sylva.

In a statement by its Secretary, Comrade Usman Saidu Calculus, the group said; “Today is a despairing day for all patriotic Nigerians as Corruption and Impunity continue to clog the wheels of our Nation progress. It's sad that highly qualified individuals have continue to take the back seat, while fraudulent people with questionable academic credentials continue to pilot the affairs of our nation.

“We are gathered here today in order to ask the National Assembly as a true representatives of the people to without further delay institute a Probe Committee and call for Public Hearing on the true identity of Chief Timipre Sylva who was sued by our sister Civil Society Organization because Timipre Sylva is overdue for arrest and prosecution for the offences of identity theft, impersonation, forgery and parading fake academic credentials.

“As we all know, it's the duty of the Police, Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the National Assembly to do due diligence and check the authenticity or otherwise of academic credentials presented by the Presidential nominees to occupy Ministerial position but we are amazed because this process was not followed when Timipre Sylva was nominated and confirmed by the Senate in 2019.”

“However, Chief Timipre Sylva has been unable to prove to the satisfaction of Nigerian Citizens that the academic credentials he used to become governor and subsequently Minister of Petroleum Resources are not falsified, forged or stolen from a third party.

“We are amazed that the DSS, Police and National Assembly of Nigeria have decided to keep mute in the face of fraud and sheer criminality of this magnitude. How can Nigeria move forward and compete in the global sphere when questionable characters like Chief Timipre Sylva are government circles rather than being in prison where they rightly belong,” the group further added.


The group made the following demands to the National Assembly:

“That if Mr President is truly fighting corruption and Impunity then corrupt and morally deficient people like Timipre Sylva have no reason whatsoever to continue to be in his government. So Timipre Sylva must be sacked, arrested and prosecuted for the offences of criminal theft of someone's identity.

“That Mr President must compel Chief Timipre Sylva to return all the salaries and allowances he collected while serving as Minister of Petroleum Resources because in the first place he doesn't have the required academic qualifications to seat in the Federal Executive Council.

“That the Bayelsa State House of Assembly must pass a law and de-recognize the title of "His Excellency" which Sylva fraudulent parades because he is not qualified to contest for governor in the first place owing to the fact he has no known academic certificates to his name.

“If the National Assembly refused to call for a Public Hearing on this visible anomalies over Timipre Sylva stolen identity case then we have no option but to declare a daily protest until the National Assembly act in national interest in the sense of reflecting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.

“We also demand that the National Assembly should compel Chief Timipre Sylva to present his NYSC certificate to the public if at all he participated in the mandatory NYSC Scheme at the time of his purported graduation from the University of Port-Harcourt.

“Finally, we call on Chief Timipre Sylva (if at all he has any atom of honour left in him) to toe the path of honour and resign his position as Minister of Petroleum Resources the same way Mrs. Kemi Adeosun quietly resigned and fled the country after it was discovered that she forged her NYSC discharge certificate.”