The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has officially resigned from the administration of President Bola Tinubu, following months of controversy over alleged certificate forgery.
The resignation was confirmed on Tuesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
The Uche Nnaji resignation comes after a damning investigative report by Premium Times, which alleged that the former minister submitted forged academic and NYSC credentials to the Nigerian Senate and the Presidency during his ministerial screening in 2023.
Certificate Scandal at the Heart of Uche Nnaji Resignation
Nnaji had claimed to have graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1975. However, the university was reportedly unable to verify this claim. According to UNN’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, records show that Nnaji was admitted in 1981 but did not complete his degree program, and therefore was never awarded a bachelor’s degree by the institution.
Further compounding the scandal, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) reportedly told investigators that the discharge certificate Nnaji presented was not issued by the agency and could not be authenticated.
The former minister had been one of the first 28 nominees President Tinubu forwarded to the Senate in July 2023. From the onset, his nomination was shadowed by allegations of forged academic qualifications and questionable service records.
Multiple sources within government and civil society had raised red flags, insisting that both the degree and NYSC certificate Nnaji presented to the Presidency, the Senate, and security agencies including the State Security Service (SSS) were fraudulent.
