Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, describing it as an “attempt to conceal yet another scandal.”

Nnaji tendered his resignation on Tuesday following reports alleging that he presented forged academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates during his ministerial screening in 2023. Both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the NYSC were said to have denied issuing the documents in question.

Reacting in a post on X, Atiku stated that Nnaji ought to have been dismissed and prosecuted rather than permitted to “quietly exit through the backdoor.”

He said, “The resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, once again exposes the deep moral crisis in this administration. What should have been treated as a national disgrace is being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’—an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that reflects the forgery-laden character of this government.

“Let’s be clear: Uche Nnaji should not have been given the privilege of resignation. He should have been immediately dismissed and charged for falsification and deceit. Allowing him to slip away quietly only reinforces the image of a government filled with forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals parading as public servants.”

Atiku also faulted the Department of State Services (DSS), accusing the agency of double standards. He noted that the same DSS which disqualified former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from ministerial screening on security grounds had cleared Nnaji despite the alleged inconsistencies in his credentials.

He said, “It is even more shameful that the same DSS which screened out Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for alleged ‘security concerns’ is the very agency that cleared this same Uche Nnaji.”

The former vice president, who contested the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), linked the situation to what he described as a recurring pattern of deceit “that starts from the very top,” citing controversies surrounding President Tinubu’s academic and identity records.

He urged for an independent probe into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, including the President, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those in leadership positions.

“Until this moral cleansing is carried out, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic collapse, and global ridicule,” Atiku added.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor the DSS had responded to Atiku’s comments.