Alleged Certificate Forgery: Why Uche Nnaji Must Resign or Get Fired Immediately
By Kabir Akintayo
The headline, “INVESTIGATION: The serial certificate forger in President Tinubu’s cabinet”, as meticulously cast by Premium Times, is as troubling as it is shameful. The detailed, fact-based investigation revealing that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, forged his Bachelor of Science (BSc.) certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), as well as his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, is not merely an embarrassment to his person but a dark stain on the credibility of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
According to the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, “although Mr. Nnaji was admitted to the institution in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.”
Similarly, the NYSC confirmed that it had no record of the certificate in Mr. Nnaji’s possession and was unable to authenticate it. In the court filings obtained by PRNigeria, the minister even admitted under oath that the university never issued him a degree certificate, a subtle yet damning confession of guilt.
The facts are unambiguous: Mr. Nnaji forged two key documents – academic and service certificates which he presented to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation as a minister. By any moral, legal, or ethical standard, this act qualifies as an offence punishable under Nigerian law and a violation of the oath of office he swore to uphold.
This scandal draws a peculiar similarity with the case of Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, former Minister of Finance under President Muhammadu Buhari. In 2018, Premium Times also exposed that she had illegally obtained her NYSC exemption certificate. Unlike Nnaji, however, Adeosun chose the path of honor by resigning voluntarily, accepting moral responsibility for her actions despite the political and personal cost.
Her resignation, though painful, was widely commended as an act of integrity. It demonstrated that no individual is bigger than the Nigerian state and that public service must be anchored on truth and transparency. Adeosun’s decision helped preserve a measure of credibility for the Buhari administration at a time when the anti-corruption drive was under scrutiny.
That same standard now stares President Tinubu’s government in the face. Tinubu came into office preaching renewed hope, promising Nigerians a government built on integrity, innovation, and accountability. However, allowing a confirmed certificate forger to remain in his cabinet threatens to undermine every moral argument this administration makes.
First, it erodes public trust. Nigerians are already weary of leaders who preach reform while protecting corruption within their ranks. Keeping Nnaji in office signals that fraud is tolerable as long as one belongs to the inner circle of power.
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Second, it contradicts the president’s personal defence in his own past certificate controversy. When Tinubu faced similar accusations, his alma mater – the Chicago State University came forward to authenticate his credentials. That public vindication remains a key pillar of his moral argument. It would therefore be hypocritical for the same administration to harbor a minister whose credentials have been outrightly disowned by both UNN and the NYSC.
Third, it weakens Nigeria’s international image. The Minister of Science and Technology represents the country in global forums on innovation, research, and development. A minister proven to have forged his way into office cannot credibly speak for a nation striving to project integrity and attract foreign partnerships. It makes mockery of every official anti-corruption rhetoric coming out of the country.
Lastly, it sends a dangerous message to Nigerian youths that deceit can be rewarded with high office, and that integrity is optional in public life. This single scandal, if unchecked, risks eroding the moral foundation of public service for a generation.
Mr. Nnaji’s continued stay in office is indefensible. Having presented fake credentials to the Senate, the presidency, and the Nigerian public, he has not only breached public trust but also violated the constitutional requirement that all officeholders be of proven integrity.
Resignation is not just an honourable option; it is the only acceptable course of action left for him. To remain in office is to mock the institutions he swore to serve and to drag the Tinubu administration deeper into disrepute.
Moreover, Adeosun’s precedent is instructive. Her resignation, though prompted by public pressure, restored a measure of integrity to the government. Nnaji’s case is even graver because, unlike Adeosun who obtained a forged exemption certificate unknowingly, he consciously manufactured both academic and NYSC credentials, using them to deceive the Senate and the Nigerian people.
Therefore, to serve as a deterrent, Nnaji should not only resign but face a full criminal investigation under the relevant sections of the Penal Code and the Public Service Rules. Anything less would embolden others to forge their way into high office without consequence.
Ultimately, this scandal presents President Tinubu with a defining moral test. After his embattled with the allegations of certificate forgery, he cannot afford to defend or retain a minister whose own univeristy and the NYSC have publicly disowned his credentials.
To do so would amount to selective morality, undermining both his credibility and the trust of Nigerians who still believe in his promise of a cleaner, more accountable government.
If Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda is to retain any meaning, Uche Nnaji must go. His resignation; voluntary or enforced, will demonstrate that the administration still values integrity above convenience. It will reaffirm that the fight against corruption is not a slogan but a living principle.
To this end, the time has come for Mr. Uche Nnaji to do the needful. By resigning immediately, he would spare the Tinubu administration further embarrassment, uphold the dignity of the office he occupies, and send a strong message that Nigeria still holds integrity as a non-negotiable virtue in public service.
To look the other way would be to tell every young Nigerian that forgery pays, and that would be the greatest forgery of all.
