Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said President Bola Tinubu, members of his cabinet and the Department of State Services, DSS, must be held accountable for allowing an alleged certificate forger into the government.
Atiku was reacting to the resignation of Uche Nnaji as Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.
Recall it was reported that Nnaji tendered his resignation letter on Tuesday following allegation of certificate forgery.
Reacting, Atiku in a statement on Wednesday said “what should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a “voluntary resignation”, an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this government”.
According to the former VP, Uche Nnaji “should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification”.
He stressed that by “permitting him to quietly exit through the backdoor, the Tinubu administration has once again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.
“What makes this even more embarrassing is that the same Department of State Services (DSS) which screened out Mallam Nasir el-Rufai for alleged “security concerns” is the very agency that cleared this same character, Uche Nnaji. The DSS truly deserves our flowers for this national disgrace.
“Their failure of due diligence has made Nigeria an object of ridicule before the world and raises the question: how many more of such individuals are occupying sensitive positions in this government?
“This episode is not isolated. It is a reflection of a pattern, a rot that begins from the very top. The man who occupies the office of President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has for decades been enmeshed in controversies surrounding his identity, age, and academic records.
“From the Chicago State University saga to multiple contradictory claims under oath, the world has seen ample evidence that Nigeria today is led by a man who himself has been unable to credibly defend the authenticity of his own certificates.
“When a man of questionable identity leads a country, deception becomes the standard of governance. Tinubu’s personal history of alleged forgery and perjury has effectively institutionalized falsehood in public service. It is, therefore, unsurprising that his ministers and aides have taken after his example by falsifying documents, inflating records, and desecrating the moral foundation of our nation”.
Atiku further called for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of “all members of the Federal Executive Council, beginning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself”, stating that “Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who preside over their lives and resources”.