President Bola Tinubu on Monday evening accepted the resignation of the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, following some allegations of certificate forgery levied against him.
“He resigned today in a letter thanking the President for allowing him to serve Nigeria,” Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed in a statement Tuesday.
President Tinubu appointed Nnaji in August 2023.
“Nnaji said he has been a target of blackmail by political opponents. President Tinubu thanked him for his service and wished him well in future endeavours,” the statement read.
Highly-placed sources in the Presidency told our correspondent that Tinubu had asked Nnaji to honourably resign, rather than firing him publicly.
The decision was finalised on Tuesday evening at the State House, Abuja, after a brief meeting between the President and key advisers.
Nnaji was not at the meeting, our correspondent observed.
“The embattled minister, the one for science and technology, he is going to resign.
“Instead of the President firing him, he has asked him to just resign honourably,” one source told The PUNCH in confidence.
Another source, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the development.
“Before the end of today (Tuesday), he will send his letter to the Office of the SGF (Secretary to the Government of the Federation) informing them that he is resigning.
“You know, it is the SGF who handles all matters pertaining to the Federal Executive Council.”
The development comes just days after a Premium Times investigative report published on Saturday, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged academic and NYSC certificates to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial nomination process in 2023.
The report claimed that the UNN disowned the degree certificate submitted by Nnaji, stating that although he was admitted in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, confirmed this in a response to a Freedom of Information request dated October 2, in which he stated that Nnaji was not a graduate of the institution.
This contradicted a December 2023 response from UNN’s Registrar, Celine Nnebedum, who had previously confirmed Nnaji’s graduation but later recanted before the Public Complaints Commission in 23 May 2025 letter that the university searched its graduation records for the 1985 session but could not find Mr Nnaji’s name on them.
The investigation also revealed that in a court affidavit, Nnaji admitted that the university never issued him a degree certificate and that he had “never collected one.”
In September, Nnaji filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court against the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission, UNN, Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya, and others, seeking to restrain the university from “tampering” with his academic records.
The case was heard on Monday, with Sebastian Hon (SAN) representing Nnaji, while E.M. Asogwa appeared for the university and its officials.
The Minister of Education and the NUC, the first and second respondents, were not represented at the hearing.
Nnaji’s legal team challenged the Premium Times article, calling it damaging given the ongoing litigation over the minister’s academic records.
He appealed to the UNN to release his academic transcript, accusing it of “playing politics” with his academic records.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Nnaji, through his spokesperson, Dr. Robert Ngwu, expressed frustration that the university had continued to withhold his transcript despite what he described as “clear evidence” of his graduation.
The Minister said he earned a BSc in Microbiology/Biochemistry with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) in 1985, insisting that the university had no justification to keep holding his records.
Nnaji argued that the story alleging that he had falsified the degree certificate he presented during his ministerial screening in 2023, dismissed the allegation as a smear campaign allegedly sponsored by a sitting governor seeking to remove him from office.
He expressed disbelief that although the university confirmed his graduation in an official letter in 2023, it issued another in May 2025 denying any record of his graduation.
He accused the Vice Chancellor of being “economical with the truth” and acting under political influence.
“It is increasingly clear that this entire episode is not about education or integrity, it is about political desperation, disguised as academic inquiry.
“The timing, the sources, the false documents, and the paid narratives all point to a coordinated campaign to drag a reputable public servant into the mud of partisan politics,” he said.
He presented UNN’s 1985 graduation brochure, where his name appeared as “Nnaji Uchenna G” alongside his photograph and those of other graduating students.
Nnaji also displayed a letter from the Registrar, Dr. Celine Nnebedum, which he said, confirms that he was admitted in 1981 and graduated in 1985.
The Minister’s Spokesperson also argued that the difference in names, “Nnaji Uchenna G” and “Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji” was inconsequential, noting that “many Igbo names have interchangeable meanings and are often used interchangeably.”
However, a third source disclosed that Nnaji’s case had become “an embarrassment” to the administration.
Nnaji will be the eighth minister to exit President Tinubu’s cabinet since it was first inaugurated on August 28, 2023.
The biggest shake-up came on October 23, 2024, when the president sacked five ministers and reassigned 10 others while appointing seven new hands in what the presidency called an attempt to retool performance.
Portfolios affected included education, tourism, women affairs, youth development and the minister of state for housing.
The rejig also involved the merging or renamed of other ministries including the ministry of Niger Delta Development which became Regional Development.
Earlier, Labour Minister, Simon Lalong quit in December 2023 to take up his Senate seat for Plateau South after a court ruling in his favour.
Weeks later, in January 2024, Tinubu suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister Betta Edu over questionable payments linked to the social safety-net system.
Although Edu denied any wrongdoing, she was investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a probe that also saw the head of the social investment agency suspended.
