Uche Nnaji resigned as minister after a PREMIUM TIMES investigation exposed his forged degree and NYSC certificates, though he denies wrongdoing.
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has resigned following revelations of certificate forgery published by PREMIUM TIMES.
The resignation came three days after the investigative newspaper exposed how Mr Nnaji submitted fake degree and NYSC certificates to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial screening in 2023.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Mr Nnaji insisted his resignation was not an admission of guilt. In a Tuesday night statement, he said, “My decision to step aside is therefore a personal choice – not an admission of guilt, but rather a principled decision to respect the sanctity of due process and to preserve the integrity of the judicial proceedings currently before the court.”
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the NYSC authorities had separately disowned the certificates in response to Freedom of Information requests by PREMIUM TIMES. The report also showed inconsistencies in his academic records, with documents proving he was still seeking to retake a failed examination when he claimed to have graduated.
Mr Nnaji, however, dismissed the findings as “politically motivated.” He alleged, “Over the past week, an orchestrated sustained campaign of falsehood, politically motivated, and malicious attacks have been waged against my person, integrity, and office across print, electronic, and social media platforms.”
His resignation follows months of speculation since July 2023, when questions about his academic qualifications first emerged after his nomination.
Many Nigerians have reacted with outrage, describing the forgery as a betrayal of public trust.