ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu directly ordered the resignation of former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, following conclusive evidence that he forged his academic credentials, presidential aides have confirmed.
The scandal unfolded when Premium Times published an investigation alleging Nnaji did not complete his studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), contrary to the degree certificate he submitted for his ministerial screening in 2023. The investigation was confirmed by the university itself, which stated in an official letter that it did not issue Nnaji’s certificate as he “did not complete his studies.”
A credible presidential source revealed the decisive action taken by the President, stating, “The President invited him over to the Villa and asked him to resign… 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.”
The former minister’s legal attempt to block the release of his academic records failed after a Federal High Court dismissed his request. This legal defeat, coupled with the public exposure, forced the administration’s hand.
Another senior aide explained that Nnaji had to be removed to prevent further damage to the government’s reputation, calling the situation “an embarrassment and a distraction.” While Nnaji publicly claimed his resignation was to protect his integrity and avoid distracting the government, presidential sources confirm he was given no option but to resign to give the administration a “soft landing” from the damaging scandal.
How Nnaji was forced to resign
[…] A credible source in the Presidency told Saturday PUNCH that the ex-minister was forced to resign.
“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 than to do that,” he said.
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.
“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 said.
He accused UNN of complicity for allowing the matter to drag on for so long.
The university’s registrar, Celine Nnebedum, had on December 21, 2023, told People’s Gazette that Nnaji 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 security agency might have been misled by the university.
“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 scene.
The source insisted that the agency played its role with due diligence.
The official declined further comment on the matter.