Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet following mounting allegations that he forged his university and NYSC certificates.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed Nnaji’s resignation in a statement released on Tuesday, marking yet another shakeup in the administration’s top ranks.
Controversy had long trailed Nnaji’s academic records, with reports suggesting discrepancies in his claim of obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1975 and a discharge certificate from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
According to a two-year investigation by PREMIUM TIMES, the minister allegedly falsified the credentials he submitted to President Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his confirmation process.
The online newspaper quoted UNN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, as saying that although Nnaji was admitted to the institution in 1981, records showed he never completed his studies and was never awarded a degree.
Similarly, the NYSC reportedly disowned the certificate Nnaji presented, describing it as “strange and unauthentic.”
Nnaji’s name first appeared on the list of 28 ministerial nominees President Tinubu forwarded to the Senate in July 2023, and questions over his academic records have persisted ever since.
Confirming his exit on X (formerly Twitter), Onanuga wrote:
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the resignation of Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, following some allegations against him.”
The presidency is yet to announce Nnaji’s replacement.
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