Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the resignation of Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, describing it as an attempt to conceal “another forgery scandal” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Nnaji resigned on Tuesday following a Premium Times investigation that alleged he submitted forged academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates during his 2023 ministerial screening. Both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the NYSC reportedly denied issuing the documents.
Reacting on X on Wednesday, Atiku, the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, said the ex-minister should not have been allowed to resign voluntarily. He argued that Nnaji should have been dismissed and prosecuted.
“What should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’—an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this government,” Atiku stated.
He further accused the Tinubu administration of shielding public officials accused of misconduct, describing it as “an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.”
Atiku also criticised the Department of State Services (DSS) for clearing Nnaji during his screening despite alleged discrepancies in his credentials. He contrasted this with the DSS screening of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, who was reportedly disqualified over security concerns.
Highlighting a recurring pattern of deceit, Atiku linked the controversy to past questions surrounding President Tinubu’s academic and identity records. He demanded an independent investigation into the credentials of all cabinet members, including the President, warning: “Until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin, and global embarrassment.”
