UBIS University in Switzerland has disowned the Doctorate Degree in International Relations being paraded by Nigeria’s Minister for State, Petroleum, Timipre Sylva.
Aiko Juvet, the UBIS University’s Global Admissions Representative, in an email, said the school does not offer any program leading to the award of a Doctorate Degree in International Relations and have never awarded such to Mr. Sylva who claimed to have acquired the degree from the University in 2011.
While suing the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Pointblanknews.com, Jackson Ude, for defamation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Sylva deposed in his affidavit of support that he attended the University of Port Harcourt for his Bachelor’s Degree, a Doctorate Degree in International Relations from the UBIS University, Switzerland and another Doctorate Degree in Public Administrations from the Africa Institute For Public Administration in Nigeria.
Although while Sylva did not indicate in the court documents that his Doctorate Degree from UBIS University was awarded Honoris Causa, the University said they never awarded any Honorary Doctorate Degree to the Nigeria’s Minister of State, Petroleum.
UBIS University said they only offer Doctorate Degree in Business Administration.
Africa Institute for Public Administration in Nigeria where Sylva claimed he received a second Doctorate Degree, is not accredited by the Nigerian University Commission, NUC, and there is no official website for the institution.
A person convicted of perjury under the U.S federal law may face up to five years in prison and fines. The punishment for perjury under state law varies from state to state, but perjury is a felony and carries a possible prison sentence of at least one year, plus fines and probation.
