Tinubu Ordered Minister Uche Nnaji to Resign Over Certificate Forgery Scandal
Fresh details have emerged on how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the resignation of the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, following a certificate forgery scandal that rocked his office. Sources within the Presidency confirmed that the President personally directed Nnaji to step down after reports alleged that he forged his Bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates, both of which he had presented during his ministerial screening in 2023. Nnaji had claimed to have obtained his degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1985, but the institution later denied ever issuing him a certificate.
The controversy began after an investigation by Premium Times alleged that the minister did not complete his studies at UNN and that the documents he submitted were fake. The online newspaper also sent a Freedom of Information request to the university, asking it to verify Nnaji’s academic records. In a letter dated October 2, 2025, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Simon Ortuanya, confirmed that Nnaji never completed his studies and that the university did not issue any certificate in his name. In response, the embattled minister went to the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to restrain the university from releasing or tampering with his academic records. However, in a ruling delivered on September 22, Justice Hausa Yilwa dismissed Nnaji’s request, leaving the university’s official position intact.
Following public outrage and media pressure, Nnaji tendered his resignation, saying the decision was necessary to protect his integrity and prevent distractions to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. In his resignation letter, the former minister described the allegations against him as politically motivated and malicious, claiming that they were part of an orchestrated campaign of falsehood aimed at tarnishing his image. He stated that his decision to resign was not an admission of guilt but a move to uphold due process and respect ongoing judicial proceedings. According to him, the controversy had caused personal distress and could have distracted from the work of his ministry and the objectives of the Tinubu administration.
However, multiple Presidential aides disclosed that the resignation was not voluntary. A credible source revealed that President Tinubu summoned Nnaji to the Presidential Villa and told him directly to resign, adding that the President did not threaten him with dismissal since he had appointed him and could just as easily remove him. Another senior aide confirmed that the President acted swiftly to save his administration from further embarrassment, noting that Nnaji had become a political liability. The source said the longer the scandal dragged on, the more it would damage the government’s image, hence the President’s decision to give him a soft landing by allowing him to resign instead of being publicly dismissed.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised over the role of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in the controversy. Some Nigerians criticised the DSS for failing to detect the alleged forgery during the ministerial vetting process. But officials in the Presidency argued that the security agency might have been misled by earlier correspondence from the university confirming that Nnaji graduated. The university’s registrar, Mrs. Celine Nnebedum, had initially told journalists in December 2023 that Nnaji graduated from the institution, only to retract her statement in May and again in October 2025, when the university officially confirmed that he never completed his studies.
A senior DSS official who spoke anonymously insisted that the agency carried out its background checks with due diligence and should not be blamed for the development, explaining that the confusion likely arose from conflicting information released by the university itself. The official, however, declined further comment on the matter.
The resignation of Uche Nnaji is the first major exit from President Tinubu’s cabinet linked to document forgery and has renewed public calls for stricter vetting of political appointees. Political observers say the incident underscores the growing demand for integrity, transparency, and accountability among public officials, as well as the need for educational institutions and security agencies to tighten verification processes.
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