Two civil society groups have called on the Federal Government to ban former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji from holding public office.

According to Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and HallowMace Foundation Africa, such an action will dissuade those planning to forge certificate in future.

Nnaji, accused of using forged University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Degree certificate and a fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate to obtain privileges, resigned from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday, having failed to defend his integrity.

CISLAC and HallowMace called on the National Assembly to apologize to Nigerians for what it termed an international embarrassment arising from its institutional failure.

In a telephone interview with reporters yesterday, the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), said that Nnaji was busy trading blames, when all material evidence had indicted him, hence, he should never be allowed to hold public office again.

“He did not resign on his own volition. He was forced by the public, the media, and the civil society to resign. He didn’t resign as an honourable man. He actually went to court to stop the university from releasing his record. In fact, we should ban him from public office for life,” he stated.

Also, in a statement jointly signed by its Executive Director, Anderson Osiebe, and its Head of Public Communications, Oguh Hyginus, HallowMace Foundation Africa maintained that the Nigerian public deserved transparent and accountable institutions that serve as effective gatekeepers against fraudulent public officers.

“The sequence of events in Minister Nnaji’s case reveals catastrophic failures in the verification systems designed to prevent such occurrences.

“According to the timeline of events, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, clearly stated in May 2025 that they had no record of issuing a degree certificate to Nnaji in 1985, and this position was reaffirmed in October 2025. Why wasn’t this basic verification conducted during the screening process in 2023?

“The leadership of screening institutions should issue public apologies to the Nigerian people for this grave failure of due diligence and outline concrete steps being taken to prevent recurrences.

“If with their extensive resources and mandate, they could not authenticate a certificate from a Nigerian institution, what confidence can citizens have in their ability to vet appointees for critical national positions?” the civil society organization stated.

Nnaji: Why I resigned

Nnaji said yesterday that his resignation was not an admission of guilt.

He explained in a statement after Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga made his exit from FEC public, that he did not want the controversy over his alleged certificate to “cast a shadow over the noble objectives of this administration.”

A part of the post reads: “This decision (resignation) did not come lightly. Over the past week, an orchestrated, sustained campaign of falsehood, politically motivated, and malicious attacks has been waged against my person, integrity, and office across print, electronic, and social media platforms.

“These unfounded allegations and media distortions have not only caused personal distress but have also begun to distract from the vital work of the Ministry and the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.

“As someone who has spent more than five decades building a reputation anchored on hard work, honour, and service to humanity, I cannot in good conscience allow these distractions to cast a shadow over the noble objectives of this administration.

“My decision to step aside is therefore a personal choice — not an admission of guilt, but rather a principled decision to respect the sanctity of due process and to preserve the integrity of the judicial proceedings currently before the court. In the end, Justice will prevail, and history will vindicate the just.

“I remain deeply grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the confidence he reposed in me and for the privilege to serve in his cabinet.”

Nnaji pledged his “unflinching support” to the Tinubu administration and holding the President’s vision close to his heart.

The statement drew immediate comments from some Nigerians who said they were astounded by his audacity.

One of the commenters, Damian Ofoegbu, tweeted: The audacity to call himself “an honourable minister.”

Another X user @CroBender, asked: “Guy, did you graduate or not? It’s as simple as that...”

Atiku calls for thorough screening

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also responded to the forgery saga, saying the Department of State Services (DSS) should be held liable for it.

Atiku, in a statement, argued that what should ordinarily be a matter of national shame was being disguised as a “voluntary resignation”.

Atiku said Nnaji’s “voluntary resignation was an attempt to whitewash him.”

The statement reads: “Let the truth be told: Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation.

“He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification.” The former Vice-President called for “an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council.” (The Nation, but headline rejigged)