President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accepted the resignation of Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, following mounting allegations that the former minister forged his academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates.
Nnaji, who was appointed to the cabinet in August 2023, tendered his resignation on Monday, thanking the President for the opportunity to serve the nation. In his letter, he claimed that he had been the target of “blackmail by political opponents.”
In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu acknowledged Nnaji’s resignation, appreciated his contributions to the administration, and wished him success in future endeavours.
However, Nnaji’s exit from the cabinet followed renewed public pressure after fresh revelations emerged from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), disowning the degree certificate he claimed to have obtained from the institution. The university, in a letter signed by its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon U. Ortuanya, stated that although Nnaji was admitted in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.
The scandal deepened when the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) also told Premium Times that the certificate of national service presented by the former minister could not be authenticated and did not exist in its records.
Allegations of certificate forgery have trailed Nnaji since July 2023 when his name appeared among the first batch of 28 ministerial nominees sent to the Senate by President Tinubu. Critics maintained that both his university and NYSC credentials were falsified, raising questions about the vetting process for ministerial nominees.
