By Bill W. Cooper
Cllr. Arthur T. Johnson has vowed to return his recently acclaimed Ph.D. if it is clearly proven that the Atlantic International University (AIU) is a fake and uncertified institution.
“If it is evidently proven with all of the facts through documented evidence, I Cllr. Arthur T. Johnson will call a live press conference in Monrovia and openly relinquish my PhD, apologise and return it to said institution,” he vowed.
Speaking yesterday to a team of journalists on the Freedom FM in Monrovia, Cllr. Johnson termed the allegation as a “political propaganda” being sponsored and supported by those whom according he said are targeting him for his stance in the society.
According to the Cllr. Johnson, who is also the Dean for the College of Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU), throughout his entire educational sojourn, he has always gone through the legal channels in getting all of his degrees and so there is no trace of him being linked in anyway to any fraudulent act in and out of Liberia.
Cllr. Johnson assured that as a criminal lawyer, he would never enrol in an institution or university without carrying out a facts check and noted that prior to his enrolment and subsequent complement of his is credible achievement, his investigation showed that the AIU was a renowned and certified university operating in the United States of America (USA) which is contrary to recent allegation.
The AMEZU Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Dean explained that he along with one of his colleagues, Dr. Eric Nagbe did enter AIU in 2014, adding that he later received his admission letter from the AIU on July 24, of 2014, After submission of all his credential, something which he said normally take almost 30 to 60 days for screening after submitting all credential before enrolment into the institution.
He furthered that after completing the screening process during the stipulated period stated above; the AIU then wrote him an enrolment and welcome letters, and stated that it was at which time he was given his ID number among other things.
Cllr. Johnson however boasted that during his time at the AIU, he was one of the best and outstanding student of which he graduated with 3.9 GPA thus enabling him to graduate with Cum Laude, averring, “Only because of my performance, people are now saying all kinds of things and to say for the record, I Arthur Johnson do not fake education.”
He further pointed out that he believed the masterminded behind the attack on his credentials credibility are those he said were defeated legally by him in the Nimba County election dispute case hearing involving madam Edith Gonglo-Weh of the opposition CPP and Rep. Jeremiah Koung of the MDR at the National Election Commissions (NEC).
Cllr. Johnson further pointed out that others who are also masterminded behind the attack on his credential are those who he said were being hold by the gust during his time with Assets Recovery and Restitution Team (AIRRET) and stressed, “But this is caveat, anyone who is involved in this should stop now and immediately or else, your end will be bad.”
It can be recalled, Students Activist, Martin K. N. Kollie in several Facebook post, has been seriously question the legality of Cllr. Arthur Johnson PhD accumulated from the AIU thus describing Cllr. Johnson as an academic fraudster for acquiring degree from an institution who he (Martin kollie) said is not certificate and recognized to operate as an institution to issues said degree.
Based on that backdrop, Activist Martin Kollie further used his argument launched an campaign for the establishment of he termed as Liberia Academic Crime Court (LACC) something he said will be intended to prosecute Liberians who will fake or buy degree in order to get government job at the detriment of other legal qualified Liberians.