The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet following mounting allegations that he forged his academic and NYSC certificates.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed Nnaji’s resignation in a statement on Tuesday.
The embattled minister has been under intense scrutiny over claims that his degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate were falsified.
Although Nnaji claimed to have graduated from UNN in 1975, reports indicate that the university could not verify his academic records.
A two-year investigation by PREMIUM TIMES alleged that Nnaji forged the credentials he submitted to President Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial screening.
Appointed in July 2023 among the first batch of 28 ministerial nominees, Nnaji has faced persistent accusations of certificate forgery since his nomination. Critics maintain that he neither completed his university education nor legitimately obtained the certificates he presented to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the State Security Service (SSS), and the Senate.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, UNN Vice-Chancellor Simon Ortuanya confirmed that while Nnaji gained admission into the university in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.
Similarly, the NYSC authorities reportedly disowned the certificate of national service submitted by Nnaji, describing it as “inauthentic” and unverifiable.
