…Alleges DSS cleared Nnaji despite document discrepancies

…Demands probe into Tinubu, cabinet credentials

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, describing it as “an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal” in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Nnaji’s resignation on Tuesday followed an investigation by Premium Times, which alleged that he submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to the Senate during his 2023 ministerial screening. Both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were said to have disowned the credentials.

Reacting via his official X handle on Wednesday, Atiku said Nnaji should not have been given the courtesy of resignation but should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted.

He stated, “Tuesday’s resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has once again brought to light the deep moral crisis within this government. What should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’—an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this administration.”

Atiku further accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of double standards, alleging that the same agency that screened out former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over security concerns had cleared Nnaji despite discrepancies in his documents.

He said, “What makes this even more embarrassing is that the same DSS which screened out Mallam Nasir el-Rufai for alleged security concerns is the very agency that cleared this same character, Uche Nnaji.”

The former vice president linked the incident to what he described as a recurring pattern of deceit from the “very top,” making reference to past controversies surrounding President Tinubu’s academic and identity records.

He called for an independent investigation into the credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, including the President, stressing that Nigerians deserve transparency in governance.

Atiku said, “Until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin, and global embarrassment.”

https://x.com/atiku/status/1975825192266924141?t=zQkaWbAdqN2ZVYeezTUJ-Q&s=19