Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, calling it a “cover-up attempt” aimed at concealing another scandal within President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Nnaji stepped down on Tuesday, shortly after a Premium Times investigation alleged that he had submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to the Senate during his ministerial screening in 2023. Both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the NYSC reportedly disowned the credentials linked to him.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Atiku argued that Nnaji’s resignation was inadequate and accused the government of allowing him to “slip out quietly” instead of dismissing and prosecuting him for forgery.
“The resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has once again exposed the deep moral rot within this administration,” Atiku wrote. “What should be treated as a matter of national disgrace is being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’ — another attempt to whitewash a forgery scandal that defines this government’s character.”
The former vice president further accused the Tinubu administration of protecting corrupt officials, describing it as “an assembly of forgers and impostors masquerading as public servants.”
Atiku also took a swipe at the Department of State Services (DSS), questioning how the agency could clear Nnaji despite discrepancies in his records, while it disqualified Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna State governor, from ministerial consideration over alleged security concerns.
“It’s shameful that the same DSS that screened out Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for so-called ‘security concerns’ is the one that cleared Uche Nnaji despite these glaring forgeries,” he said.
The 2023 PDP presidential candidate described the controversy as part of a recurring pattern of deceit “that begins from the very top,” and called for an independent investigation into the credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, including the President himself.
“Until such a cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink into moral decay, economic decline, and international embarrassment,” Atiku warned.
