Onyekachi Eze 
Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council.
Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday, said this is in light of the resignation of Uche Nnaji, former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, on alleged certificate forgery.
The former vice president stated that Nnaji’s alleged certificate forgery has once again brought to light the deep moral crisis at the heart of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said the certificate investigation should begin with President Tinubu himself, adding that “Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who preside over their lives and resources.”
Atiku noted that Tinubu has for decades been enmeshed in controversies surrounding his identity, age, and academic records.
According to him, there have been alleged contradictions in the president’s academic records at the Chicago State University, and he said that “he has been unable to credibly defend the authenticity of his own certificates.”
He added that when a man of questionable identity leads a country, deception becomes the standard of governance.
“Tinubu’s personal history of alleged forgery and perjury has effectively institutionalised falsehood in public service.
“It is, therefore, unsurprising that his ministers and aides have taken after his example by falsifying documents, inflating records, and desecrating the moral foundation of our nation,” he said.
Atiku stated that what makes Nnaji’s case more embarrassing is that the same Department of State Services (DSS), which screened out Mallam Nasir el-Rufai for alleged ‘security concerns’, is the very agency that cleared Nnaji for ministerial appointment.
He regretted that the DSS’s failure of due diligence “has made Nigeria an object of ridicule before the world and raises the question: how many more of such individuals are occupying sensitive positions in this government?
“This episode is not isolated. It is a reflection of a pattern, a rot that begins from the very top.”
Atiku said Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation; “he should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification.
“By permitting him to quietly exit through the back door, the Tinubu administration has once again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.”
The former vice president stated that “until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin, and global embarrassment.
“The time has come to rescue our country from the grip of deceit and restore integrity to public life.”
