By Mohamed Sankoh (One Drop)
Sierra Leone is, at present, in a messy mess because of three reasons: dishonesty, willful stupidity, and the glorification of mediocrity. It is hard to believe that what is now happening in the country is taking place in a nation whence cometh Davison Nicol, Cyril P. Foray, Arthur Abraham, Eustace Palmer, Syl Cheney-Coker, and others of international repute.
It is sadly sad that Sierra Leone is in such a sad state because most of its political and religious leaders are dishonestly dishonest; majority of her citizens are wallowing in willful stupidity, and most of its so-called intellectuals are now glorifying mediocrity in its disrobed form! And, as I see it, if this trend is not arrested quickly; Sierra Leone will soon become a nation of charlatans!
Most Sierra Leoneans seem to be so obsessed with titles that sometimes I muffle my laughter whenever I hear some of these jaw-breaking titles. Imagine this: His Excellency Dr Brigadier (retired) Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Father of the Nation, Fountain of Honour, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Father of Democracy, The Tormentor, and former PhD Candidate. Just one man with all these titles!
And it is this obsession with titles that seems to have created the latest intellectual scandal in Sierra Leone dubbed: “PhDgate”. Now every Munda, Sorie, or Ayodele wants their names to be prefixed by “Dr”. So it is not surprising that the lobbies of Parliament, the corridors of State House, and the backyards of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are stinking with the disgusting odor of fake degrees. And we should not be surprised if, very soon, we start hearing of women at the Dove Cot market claiming to hold PhDs in Dry-Fishology or Fry-Fryology. Or even in Ogiriology! Why not? Most Sierra Leoneans appear to cherish the sounds of PhD-ishness so much so that they could now go to Dubai and shop for a PhD degree.
But, again as I see it, the whole PhDgate shows how dishonesty appears to be in vogue in Sierra Leone. Let’s for the sake of “Long Bench” or “Ataya Base” argument say someone is actually conferred an Honorary Doctorate (PhD) degree in a Five-Star hotel in Dubai after paying US$5,000. It is assumed that educated Sierra Leoneans know that “in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, it is not usual for an honorary doctor to use the formal title of “doctor,” regardless of the background circumstances for the award. A person with an honorary doctorate is not called [a] Dr.” Added to that that person, I’m still assuming, must also know that “it is sometimes recommended that such degrees be listed in one’s curriculum vitae (CV) as an award, and not in the education section.”
Now with that premise, above, it will be an act of dishonesty for someone to return from Dubai, after being awarded an Honorary Doctorate, write a Memo instructing all his staff and persons dealing with his/her institution to always prefix his name with “Dr.” And the glorification of mediocrity comes into play when a college or university accepts the PhDship, if you will, of someone without asking questions.
I have heard, and seen on social media, arguments and counter-arguments for and against the use of “Dr” by those who bought their Honorary Doctorates in Dubai, at the Dominion University and the African Graduate University. The argument put forward by Dr John Idriss Lahai, the whistleblower who has taken up the gauntlet to expose the charlatans, is that those who used taxpayers’ money to buy air tickets and given per diems to travel to Dubai for the sake of acquiring those fake degrees ought to be prosecuted for corruption. His argument is very clear and straightforward.
But what is shamefully shameful is the weak defence put forward by some high-profile presidential appointees for those who have been caught in what seems to be academic frauds. They are only trying to defend the indefensible in what the British press will call “non-denial denial”. If high-profile presidential appointees could attempt to justify such academic mockery; then I will take it that the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government’s much-talked about “quality education” and “human capital development” must not be taken seriously.
But I can understand the fact that old people will always feel ill-at-ease whenever dry bones are mentioned in proverbs. If the SLPP Clerk of Parliament Paran Umar Tarawallie, the SLPP Leader of Government Business Martin Sahr Nyuma, and other high-profile SLPP operatives are being accused of having fake degrees; then it is understandable that a boy who knows that his father is always in tattered trousers will never sing the song “kaka debul bos trosis” in his presence! Or is it that the Bio-led administration believes in the Ghanaian proverb that says, “One camel does not make fun of the other camel’s hump”?
Methinks Dr John Idriss Lahai has taken up the challenge, to expose Sierra Leoneans with fake academic credentials, because he appears to believe in the Cameroonian proverb that says, “There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree”. If someone wants his/her name to be prefixed by “Dr”, they should enroll in a recognised university, do three or four years full-time original research, and submit a thesis that will make an innovative contribution to knowledge.
In a nutshell, Dr John Idriss Lahai is the modern Sierra Leonean version of Martin Luther. He is making his own little contribution to clean the Augean stables; he believes that academic excellence should be earned not bought. He holds the view that for someone to be called “Dr”; s/he should have burnt the midnight candle. And all what Dr John Idriss Lahai seems to be doing now is to bring respect to the once “Athens of West Africa”. And for this, some Sierra Leoneans have unsheathed their swords.
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