In a blistering statement that will widen the fault lines of Nigeria’s already febrile politics, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of elevating forgery to state policy and demanded an independent audit of the credentials of every member of the Federal Executive Council.
The charge comes after the sudden resignation this week of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, following an explosive investigation that exposed alleged forgery of his degree and NYSC credentials.
Premium Times published a long investigation that, the news outlet says, establishes how documents Mr Nnaji submitted during his 2023 screening were fabricated and that the University of Nigeria Nsukka has disowned the certificate he claimed to hold. The story has since forced the minister to step down and ignited fury from the opposition.
Atiku labelled the resignation a “whitewash” and argued that Nnaji should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted rather than allowed the courtesy of a ‘voluntary’ exit. He also singled out the Department of State Services for what he described as a catastrophic failure of due diligence.
The former vice-president pointed out that the same security agency that reportedly flagged former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufai during ministerial screening later cleared Mr Nnaji. For many, that inconsistency suggests either incompetence or selective application of standards.
The political optics are devastating. Atiku framed the scandal as symptomatic of a broader rot that, he argues, begins at the very top. He reminded Nigerians of the long running controversy over President Tinubu’s academic records and the Chicago State University dispute that featured in election court battles and media scrutiny in 2023.
Those earlier disputes, Atiku says, normalised a culture of obfuscation that now appears to have seeped into appointments to the highest offices. Critics say the Nnaji affair will revive questions about vetting procedures, the integrity of the DSS and the political criteria that appear to shape confirmations.
This is not only theatre. The allegations carry legal and governance consequences. Forged documents for public office are criminal offences under Nigerian law, and prosecutors in the past have moved slowly but decisively when evidence is solid.
Observers note that how quickly the presidency and the security services act will be treated as a test of whether rules apply equally to the powerful and the powerless.
If prosecutions follow, the Tinubu administration risks months of corrosive litigation and reputational damage that will sap political capital at home and abroad. If the matter is shelved, the opposition will brand the government as institutionally corrupt. Either path promises no political respite.
The DSS will face intense scrutiny. Civil society groups and some lawmakers now want to know what documents the agency examined before clearing nominees in 2023, what checks were run against Nigerian and foreign records and why apparently obvious inconsistencies went unchallenged.
The wider question is institutional capacity. Can the DSS reliably vet a jumbo sized cabinet, a process critics have already described as perfunctory during the rapid confirmations two years ago? The public will expect transparency, not another internal memo.
There is also a pattern to consider. Certificate controversies are not new to Nigeria. The country has had numerous high profile episodes where politicians’ credentials were disputed, disputed certificates were publicised and questions raised about the standard of vetting in public life. That history feeds public cynicism.
For a nation struggling with economic hardship, falling global trust metrics and investor wariness, the optics of ministers who cannot verify basic academic histories are toxic. Journalists and watchdogs will now comb the records of the entire cabinet, and any documentary gaps are likely to become front-page stories.
What would a credible response look like? Atiku and many civic organisations are calling for an independent, transparent, and time-bound verification of the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, beginning with the president.
For such a probe to have legitimacy it would need judicial backing, public reporting and a firewall against political interference. Anything less will be dismissed as theatre and will deepen the credibility crisis.
For President Tinubu the stakes are high. His administration has staked much on reformist narratives and the restoration of investor confidence. A sustained scandal over forgery and vetting will divert attention from policy priorities and provide ammunition to opponents as the 2027 contest looms.
It will also test the durability of Nigeria’s institutions — the DSS, the Attorney General’s office and the Senate — and whether they will act with speed, fairness and independence.
The Nnaji resignation is therefore more than an isolated personnel problem. It is a political stress test. If the government answers with openness and due process it may blunt the crisis. If it prefers secrecy and the gentle quieting of headlines it risks confirming Atiku’s worst fears — that forgery and selective justice have become a tool of statecraft.
Nigerians will be listening. The world will be watching.
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