Uche Nnaji has resigned as Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology following allegations that he forged his academic credentials.1 The resignation, which President Bola Tinubu has accepted, comes after a two-year investigation by the newspaper Premium Times.2
According to the investigative report, Nnaji submitted a falsified Bachelor of Science degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate during his ministerial appointment process in 2023.3
Both UNN and NYSC authorities have reportedly disowned the certificates.4 A UNN official is quoted as saying that while Nnaji was admitted to the university in 1981, he never completed his studies or received a degree.5 Nnaji, however, has denied the allegations, calling them a politically motivated “blackmail” campaign.6 He stated in his resignation letter that his decision to step down was to allow him to pursue a “just cause” and “preserve the integrity of the judicial proceedings currently before the court.”7
