Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet following widespread allegations that he forged his academic and NYSC certificates.
The Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the resignation in a statement on Tuesday, bringing to an abrupt end Nnaji’s 14-month tenure as one of the administration’s pioneer ministers.
The embattled minister has been at the centre of controversy since an investigative report by Premium Times alleged that he falsified the academic credentials he submitted for ministerial screening. The report detailed findings from a two-year investigation, revealing discrepancies in the certificates Nnaji claimed to have obtained from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
While Nnaji maintained that he graduated from UNN in 1975, the institution reportedly could not verify that he completed his academic programme. The Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Professor Simon Ortuanya, was quoted as saying that although Nnaji was admitted in 1981, “he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.”
The investigation further claimed that the NYSC could not authenticate the discharge certificate the minister submitted to the presidency and other government institutions. NYSC officials were said to have described the document as “strange” and not traceable within their records.
The allegations, which have trailed Nnaji since his nomination in July 2023, intensified in recent weeks, prompting mounting public pressure and calls for his resignation.
Neither Nnaji nor the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology has issued an official statement addressing the allegations as of press time.
