Pressure is growing on Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, to step down following allegations of certificate forgery.
Two prominent civil society organisations — the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria — have urged the minister to resign and apologise to Nigerians over the scandal.
CISLAC’s Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, made the call in an interview with newsmen, stressing that public officials should uphold integrity and transparency.
Rafsanjani noted that politicians are not required to possess university degrees to hold office, as the constitution permits individuals with school-leaving certificates to serve. He, however, condemned any form of dishonesty in credentials.
“If you lie on your certificate, whether it’s a degree or not, you should simply resign once it’s exposed,” Rafsanjani said. “You cannot promote lies and fraud while in leadership. What example are you setting?”
He added that the minister’s continued stay in office may be due to his closeness to the president, but insisted that “leaders must lead by example.”
Rafsanjani further urged President Bola Tinubu to act decisively, warning that keeping officials with integrity issues undermines public trust.
“There are several ministers and public officials facing serious integrity challenges — from corruption allegations to certificate scandals,” he said. “If you want citizens to respect leadership, you cannot have people with damaged reputations in office.”
He also referenced a recent controversy involving a presidential aide who allegedly claimed a degree from a European university that later denied any affiliation.
As of press time, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), under which Nnaji serves, has not issued an official statement on the matter.