Tinubu’s minister Uche Nnaji resigns over alleged certificate forgery

Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology has resigned following some allegations of certificate forgery against him.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s media aide Bayo Onanuga who confirmed the resignation in a statement, said the president has accepted the Minister’s decision.

According to Onanuga, Tinubu has “accepted the resignation of Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, following some allegations against him.

“President Tinubu appointed Nnaji in August 2023.

“He resigned today in a letter thanking the President for allowing him to serve Nigeria.

“Nnaji said he has been a target of blackmail by political opponents.

“President Tinubu thanked him for his service and wished him well in future endeavours”.

The former minister has been in the news lately for allegedly forging the certificate he submitted to the government upon his appointment in 2023.

Recent report revealed that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), disowned the Bachelor of Science degree certificate in the possession of the former Minister, saying the politician did not complete his studies at the institution and was never issued a certificate.

The media outlet said that Simon U. Ortuanya, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, stated that although Nnaji was admitted to the institution in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.

It added that authorities at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) also confirmed that the certificate of national service being paraded by Nnaji was strange to it and could not be authenticated.

However, Nnaji had, through his spokesman, Dr. Robert Ngwu, at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, denied the allegations, insisting that he bagged a BSc. degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry with second class honours (lower division) in 1985.

The former minister, therefore, called on the authorities of the UNN to release his academic transcript without further delay and stop playing further politics with the vital document, accusing the university of trying to dent his image by issuing two conflicting reports regarding his certificate.