Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government was encouraging a culture of forgery. He called...
.jpg "Atiku calls Tinubu a \"government of fraud from top to bottom\" because of the minister's certificate incident.")
Nnaji quit on Tuesday after Premium Times reported that he lied to the Senate about his academic and NYSC credentials during his screening for the cabinet position in 2023.
The National Youth Service Corps and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka are said to have denied having any involvement with the papers. Atiku responded on Wednesday in a post on X that the minister should have been fired and charged instead of being allowed to "quietly exit through the backdoor."
"The deep moral crisis has been brought to light once again by Uche Nnaji's resignation on Tuesday as Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology," he said. Something that should normally be a national shame is now being passed off as a "voluntary resignation." This is an attempt to hide yet another scandal that shows how corrupt this government is. To tell the truth, Uche Nnaji should not have been given the chance to quit. He ought to have been fired right away and charged with lying and fraud. By letting him leave quietly through the back door, they once again proved that they are a group of fakes, frauds, and morally corrupt people pretending to be public workers.
He said it was unfair that the Department of State Services (DSS) approved Nnaji but not Nasir el-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna, because of "security concerns." He called the DSS's failure to properly vet candidates a "national disgrace" that makes people question the qualifications of other nominees.
He said, "What makes this even more embarrassing is that the Department of State Services that turned down Mallam Nasir el-Rufai for supposed "security worries" also did the same thing for this person, Uche Nnaji." The former vice president, who ran for president as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in 2023, said that the scandal was related to a habit of lying "that starts at the very top."
By referencing Tinubu's own past, Atiku brought up problems with the president's name, age, and academic records, such as the controversy over the Chicago State University certificate and his contradictory sworn statements.
"This event is not unique. This is a picture of a design; a rot that starts at the top. The man who is President now, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been involved in controversies for decades over his identity, age, and school records. From the scandal at Chicago State University to making many false claims under oath, the world has seen a lot of proof that the man leading Nigeria today has not been able to convincingly defend the accuracy of his own credentials.
"Lies become the norm of government when a man with a sketchy past is in charge of a country." Tinubu's history of claimed forgery and lying under oath has made lying an accepted part of public service. Atiku said, "It is not a surprise that his ministers and aides have followed his lead by falsifying documents, exaggerating records, and sullying the moral foundation of our nation." All members of the Federal Executive Council, including the President, should have their papers looked into by a third party, he said, because Nigerians had the right to know the truth about those in public office.
He said, "Until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to fall further into moral decay, economic ruin, and shame around the world."
At the time of this writing, neither the Presidency nor the DSS had responded to Atiku's claims.
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