Fresh revelations have shown that former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was compelled to resign following allegations of certificate forgery hanging over him.
Presidential aides told Saturday Punch that President Bola Tinubu personally invited Nnaji to the Presidential Villa, where he was directed to tender his resignation in the wake of the scandal.
Nnaji’s ordeal began after an investigation by Premium Times alleged that he forged both his Bachelor of Science degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
The report revealed that while the former minister claimed to have graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1985, the university denied issuing him a certificate.
In a Freedom of Information request, UNN was asked to release Nnaji’s academic records. Responding in a letter dated October 2, 2025, Vice-Chancellor Prof Simon Ortuanya stated that the university did not award Nnaji the degree he claimed, as he never completed his studies.
In a desperate attempt to shield his records, Nnaji approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, with an ex parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025, seeking to restrain UNN from releasing or tampering with his academic files.
However, Justice Hausa Yilwa dismissed the application on September 22. Court filings also revealed that Nnaji himself admitted he had not collected his degree certificate—contradicting the certificate he earlier submitted during his Senate screening in 2023.
‘My Resignation Is Not Admission Of Guilt’
Following the damning revelations, Nnaji announced his resignation on Monday. In a statement, he said his decision was taken after “deep reflection and consultations” to protect his integrity and prevent distractions to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“These unfounded allegations and media distortions have not only caused personal distress but have also begun to distract from the vital work of the ministry and the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President,” he said.
He stressed that stepping down was not an admission of guilt but “a principled decision to respect the sanctity of due process and ongoing judicial proceedings.”
The ex-minister, who joined Tinubu’s cabinet in August 2023, said his reputation was built over five decades of “hard work, honour, and service to humanity.”
How President Tinubu Called For His Resignation
Meanwhile, a credible source in the Presidency told Saturday PUNCH that the ex-minister was forced to resign.
He said, “The President invited him over to the Villa and asked him to resign. He was not threatened with a sack; the President didn’t have to do that because he appointed him, and he could ask him to resign. So, Nnaji had no option but to do that.”
When asked whether the President would take action against the Department of State Services for allowing Nnaji’s alleged certificate forgery to slip through the vetting process, the source said, “We cannot place the blame solely on the DSS. What about the Senate that screened him? They were also expected to scrutinise the certificates he presented.”
Another senior presidential aide noted that Nnaji had to resign to save the government from further embarrassment.
He said, “The President asked him (Nnaji) to resign. Of course, he had become an embarrassment and a distraction to the government and the longer you drag it, the more damaging it becomes. Some ministers and presidential aides felt that the earlier the President offloaded him (Nnaji), the better. He was becoming a liability to the government. It is not an allegation that can be swept under the carpet, so the best thing was for him to leave. Give him a soft landing, so the President told him to resign.”
He accused UNN of complicity for allowing the matter to drag on for so long.
The university’s registrar, Celine Nnebedum, had told People’s Gazette on December 21, 2023, that Nnaji had graduated. Nnebedum recanted the claim in May and October 2025.
“It took that long (for Nnaji’s resignation) because the university wrote a letter that he (Nnaji) graduated; they claimed that he graduated, but they are now saying that he did not graduate,” the source added.
He also exonerated the DSS, arguing that the university might have misled the security agency.
“I know that the DSS has the resources to do a good job and they have always done a good job, maybe this one slipped or maybe they got the letter from the school that he graduated from there,” he said.
A DSS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said people blaming the security agency did not know what played out behind the scenes.
The source insisted that the agency played its role with due diligence.
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