By Akinwale Kasali
Following the resignation of Uche Nnaji as Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology over Certificate Forgery allegation scandal, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said President Tinubu is presiding over an administration built on deceit and forgery. The government has made dishonesty a state policy, Atiku added.
Reacting to the certificate forgery scandal in a statement titled “Forgery As State Policy: Tinubu, His Cabinet, And The DSS Must Be Held Accountable”, Atiku said the incident revealed the “deep moral crisis” at the heart of the Tinubu administration and exposed the hypocrisy of its anti-corruption rhetoric.
He argued that what should have been treated as a national scandal has, instead “been whitewashed as a voluntary resignation in a desperate attempt to deceive Nigerians and cover up widespread rot within the government.”
He said, “Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification.
“By permitting him to quietly exit through the backdoor, the Tinubu administration has once again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants”.
Atiku also slammed the Department of State Services, DSS, which cleared Nnaji for appointment despite its earlier rejection of other nominees. He accused the agency of negligence and complicity, describing the incident as a “national disgrace.”
He said, “What makes this even more embarrassing is that the same Department of State Services (DSS) which screened out Mallam Nasir el-Rufai for alleged ‘security concerns’ is the very Agency that cleared this same character, Uche Nnaji. The DSS truly deserves our flowers for this national disgrace.
The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stated that the DSS’s failure to conduct due diligence has embarrassed Nigeria before the world and wondered how many other officials with forged records might currently be serving in Tinubu’s cabinet.
Atiku linked the forgery scandal to what he described as a pattern of deception that starts from the very top of the administration.
He said: “The man who occupies the office of President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has, for decades been enmeshed in controversies surrounding his identity, age, and academic records.”
He further cited the Chicago State University saga and “multiple contradictory claims under oath.” Atiku said Tinubu’s inability to defend the authenticity of his certificates credibly had set a dangerous precedent for others in his government.
He added, “When a man of questionable identity leads a country, deception becomes the standard of governance. Tinubu’s personal history of alleged forgery and perjury has effectively institutionalized falsehood in public service.”
He called for a thorough investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all cabinet members, starting with Tinubu himself.
He said: “I, therefore, call for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, beginning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself.”
The former vice president concluded that without a moral and institutional cleansing, Nigeria would continue to decline both morally and economically.
Atiku warned, “Until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin, and global embarrassment. The time has come to rescue our country from the grip of deceit and restore integrity to public life.”
It would be recalled that Premium Times investigation exposed that Nnaji forged the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, degree certificate he presented for screening.
The investigative report revealed discrepancies in his credentials and confirmed that the UNN had never issued him any certificate.
Following the publication, Nnaji was forced to tender his resignation on Tuesday.
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