ADC faults Tinubu for retaining minister accused of certificate forgery

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu for retaining Uche Nnaji, minister of science, technology and innovation, despite allegations that the certificates he presented for his appointment were forged.

An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that Nnaji did not complete his university education and that both the bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he presented to Tinubu, as well as to the offices of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the senate, were forged.

A federal high court in Abuja had also dismissed a request by the minister to stop the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), from releasing his academic records.

In a statement issued on Monday, Bolaji Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary of the ADC, said the party was not surprised by Tinubu’s silence on the revelation, describing it as further proof of the administration’s “tolerance for corruption”.

Abdullahi said it is a disservice to the nation that a ministry responsible for innovation and research is being led by someone with “dubious credentials”.

“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is not surprised that despite mounting evidence and public outrage, the minister of science, technology, and innovation, Mr Uche Nnaji, remains in office after being accused and subsequently admitting that the certificates he presented were not issued by the relevant institutions and may have been forged,” the statement reads.

The ADC spokesperson said the case is not an isolated incident but part of a “long, public, and familiar record” of certificate scandals involving senior officials in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

“These recurring scandals and the persistent stench of certificate forgery are indeed reflective of a party that is foundationally accommodating of deceit and clearly unbothered by basic ethical considerations,” he added.

“If the minister is not honourable enough to resign, why is the Tinubu administration still keeping him in office?

“By refusing to act, the Tinubu government and the APC are admitting their complicity in such fraudulent conduct at the highest levels of their government and making a mockery of their claims to be fighting corruption.”

Abdullahi said governance must begin with integrity and credibility, adding that Nigerians cannot trust a government “populated by people who have lied under oath about their qualifications”.

“A ministry whose mandate is to drive innovation, research, and the advancement of knowledge is now tainted by the dubious credentials of the man that President Tinubu has found fit to serve,” he said.

The opposition party called for Nnaji’s immediate suspension pending an independent investigation, adding that if found guilty, he should face prosecution for forgery and perjury.

“Certificate forgery is not a clerical error; it is a crime. If proven, it must attract the full weight of the law,” Abdullahi said.

He said the senate and the Department of State Services (DSS) should review their vetting procedures for ministerial nominees.

“A senate that has obliged itself unreservedly to the will of the president is liable to fail in its duty to the people,” he added.