By John Umeh
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has resigned from office following damning allegations of certificate forgery involving his university and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) credentials.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed Nnaji’s resignation in a statement released late Monday, October 7, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the minister’s decision to step down.
According to Onanuga, Nnaji tendered his resignation in a letter addressed to the President, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve and describing himself as a victim of political persecution. President Tinubu, in response, thanked the former minister for his service and wished him success in his future endeavours.
The resignation came after an investigative report by Premium Times alleged that Nnaji’s academic and NYSC credentials were falsified. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where the minister claimed to have earned a Bachelor of Science degree, publicly denied issuing him a certificate.
In a statement reportedly signed by UNN Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, the institution confirmed that although Nnaji was admitted in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.
Further controversy arose when the NYSC disclaimed the certificate Nnaji submitted to the Senate during his ministerial screening, stating that it could not authenticate the document. Investigations showed that the NYSC certificate bore the signature of a Director-General who was not yet in office at the time the certificate was allegedly issued. It also indicated that Nnaji’s supposed service year lasted 13 months — longer than the legally mandated 12 months.
The revelations triggered public outrage and mounting pressure on the minister to step down, prompting his resignation barely 24 hours after the reports went viral.
Uche Nnaji, who was appointed in August 2023, was one of President Tinubu’s nominees tasked with advancing Nigeria’s innovation and technological development agenda. His exit marks the first high-profile resignation in Tinubu’s cabinet over a certificate forgery scandal.
While Nnaji maintains that the allegations were politically motivated, his resignation has intensified calls for stricter vetting of political appointees and renewed scrutiny of academic and NYSC records among public officeholders in Nigeria.
