Uche Nnaji Says "My Resignation Not Admission Of Guilt"

Uche Nnaji.

I got wind of the Uche Nnaji story yesterday. At first, just rumours; today, it’s everywhere in the press. What has hooked me isn’t simply the controversy—but the principled act of resignation. Many Nigerians would cling to power despite scandal. Also of note: the roaring voices of critics. As usual, some are abusing the man who refuses to be stained in a political fight, while many among those critics are guilty of the same offense themselves.

Yes—certificate forgery is not new in this country. It mostly comes out “once in a blue moon,” but it’s known. What shocks is how little has been done to stop it, how many organizations often don’t budget enough or plan to vet candidate credentials properly before onboarding. What a shame! It does not matter whether you run a small outlet or medium -scaled business – it is important to vet candidates before they resume on the new job. Today, many people just hire people to work in their business or live with them – the end is always a catastrophe and one full of regrets.

There could be many other people working in various organisations with fake certificates – nobody cares about that any longer, even many HR people don’t care anymore as long as the candidates are very articulate during the interview – even many organisations don’t see the need to budget fund to vet the applications of candidates anymore. What a shame! Imagine, if all the various human resources departments from all the organisations decide to conduct a vet today in Nigeria – what is going to be the results of the exercise? You think this is funny, of course this is not funny. Certificate forgery is a big thing in Nigeria, and until we give it a serious thought, we can’t overcome it.

Sometimes, I laugh at those parents who never care to visit their children in the school. They only take whatever their children tell them at home or on the phone. While in the university i saw a lot myself of students who weren’t real students but staying on the campus like the real students. Infact this is where I lost thinking about this issue – I saw many of them at the NYSC camp – to be honest I don’t know how this may be possible for anyone to do. But today, they can’t work with their certificates but why? They prefer to do business – all they do is business. Why will anyone spend 4/5/6/7 years in the University only to keep the certificate on the shelve? Humm – I don’t have answer for this myself but I know the excitement will be there just to use the hard-earned certificate after graduation.

I know a few organisations in Nigeria with zero tolerance for this, they support this with big budget – you can’t escape it. So glad, by virtue of those places we have worked - we have been screened many times, again, and again. I know of a certain organisation that keeps at least a million naira just to vet every candidate before onboarding. If you say you have certificates from a University in the US – they hire an agency to do this a week or two before resuming – imagine you can’t escape it.

No wonder when you hire a fraud into an organisation – what do you expect of him or her? Stealing money, inflating invoices here and there. The case of the honourable mister doesn’t just come as a surprise but a show of the systemic rot in our labour force. It is even worse in the private sector – I know what I know.

What the Press Said About Nnaji’s Case

• In May 2025, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) submitted a letter via the Public Complaints Commission saying that there is no record of Nnaji being issued a degree certificate in 1985 – Vanguard News.

• A subsequent confirmation by UNN, via its Vice-Chancellor, repeated that Nnaji did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree. Timeline: How certificate forgery controversy forced Minister Uche Nnaji’s resignation - Vanguard News

• Meanwhile, Nnaji and his camp claim to have evidence that he did graduate: a certificate from 1985, Second Class Honours (Lower Division) in Microbiology/Biochemistry, supported by a Registrar’s letter issued in December 2023 – TVC News.

• However, evidence also surfaced showing that at least one academic course (Virology, Course Code: MCB 431 AB) was failed by Nnaji, and there are internal records of correspondence seeking to resit it. This contradicts the claim of successful and timely graduation – Vanguard News.

• Under mounting pressure, he resigned; he insists resignation is not an admission of guilt, but a step to allow proper investigation and shield the integrity of the office. Certificate Forgery: Peter Obi reacts as pressure mounts on Tinubu to sack Minister, Nnaji

What Many Nigerians Are Saying

• There is widespread anger—not only at Nnaji, but at the system that allows such controversies to happen. Public Anger Trails Minister Nnaji Over Alleged Certificate Forgery - Our People's FM 104.1 Ado-Ekiti %.

• The screening committees, HR departments, electoral bodies (INEC), and confirmation processes are being faulted for not detecting inconsistencies sooner. Nigerians demand Nnaji’s resignation over certificate, indict screening committee - Businessday NG

• Many feel there is a glaring hypocrisy: those who cry loudest about morals are themselves often tainted by similar or lesser offenses which go unchallenged.

We Need to Ask: What If…

• What if every organization in Nigeria suddenly decided to vet credentials strictly? If HR departments took just the cost and time seriously—sought transcripts, verified degree completion, checked NYSC status—many “accepted” candidates might be disqualified before onboarding.

• What if every ministry, every political party, every government agency had zero tolerance for certificate forgery—budgeting for verification, making it part of hiring and nomination prerequisites, and punishing falsification?

• What if we enforced consequences: legal, administrative, reputational—for those who lie about education or credentials?

This Is Not Just One Man’s Problem — It’s Structural Rot

Nnaji’s case does more than test one man’s integrity. It exposes systemic issues:

• Weak verification systems. Institutions, even the universities themselves, sometimes send conflicting letters or change positions under pressure.

• Political interference. Allegations that rival political actors are influencing what documents get released, what stories are publicized, etc. When politics becomes more powerful than truth, trust dies.

• Public indifference or selective outrage. Unless someone is in the spotlight, offences are ignored. Some people who may have misrepresented credentials remain unchallenged—yet they are part of the moral chorus condemning those who are exposed.

What Should Be Done

1. Full, Transparent Investigation

Everybody involved—UNN, NYSC, Senate screening committees—must make their records public (as far as privacy laws allow), and show what they found.

2. Strengthening Vetting Processes

Nominees for public office should submit all credentials for verification before they assume office. HR units should budget for transcript retrieval, credential verification, digital record-keeping.

3. Legal Accountability

If forged documents are found, there must be legal consequences. Forgery is not a minor offence—it undermines the rule of law, honesty, and fairness.

4. Change of Culture

We must stop celebrating “who you know,” shortcuts, or bending the rules. We should instead value merit, truth, and transparency. A leader who turns in his resignation in face of serious allegations, while denying guilt, shows respect for the public, and that is something rare in our political culture.

In conclusion, I agree completely here that resigning does not prove guilt. But after reading the documents, hearing the evidence, and seeing the contradictory claims, one thing is clear: it takes courage for a public official to step aside amid allegations rather than cling to power. That doesn’t mean innocence or guilt is settled—but it shows one’s sense of responsibility to higher ideals: to truth, to the public, and to the dignity of office.

To those who criticize him: ensure your own credentials are spotless where you work before you speak. To all organisations: make it a point of duty to vet all employees whether new or old. To those who reward or elevate people: make it a rule that claims be verified. To the government: this is an opportunity to show Nigeria that integrity matters.

It goes even beyond this case; what about people claiming to be a medical doctor whereas they are not. What about people calling themselves engineers whereas they are not? This is purely an act of impersonation. If we do not use this moment to reform, the next case will look just like the last. Certificate forgery—lying about grades, lying about school attendance—is not small. It excludes people, reduces merit, erodes trust. We owe Nigeria better. And we must demand it.

Tosin Agbelusi writes from Lagos.