Ex-Minister Nnaji: How Far Can Tinubu Go Against Organised Crime?

By Ikeddy ISIGUZO

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has guts, and his recent decision regarding “organised crime” is a prime example. The President’s request for the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mr. Uche Nnaji, to resign over certificate issues demonstrates this.

Tinubu acted decisively – Nnaji had to leave, and quickly. It was a sensitive issue requiring careful handling.

As the saying goes, there cannot be two captains on a ship. Tinubu is steering the ship with all the competence he can muster, of which he possesses a great deal.

A common tactic for politicians, which Nnaji is employing, is to blame faceless detractors for their problems. After all, what is a politician without detractors?

Nnaji goes a step further, making it clear who he believes is behind the mischief. According to him, His Excellency Peter Mbah, the Governor of Enugu, is responsible for his current predicament.

Nnaji is certainly brave. His aides claim his troubles stem from Mbah’s desire to eliminate competition in the 2027 elections. Mbah, who defeated Nnaji in the 2023 gubernatorial race, reportedly intends to seek re-election on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, perceiving it as a secure party for those with foresight.

Politicians are perplexing. How can they leapfrog 2026 and focus on 2027? Nnaji should not be silenced. He should elaborate. He sounds like a victim of the injustices that Nigeria readily inflicts upon its citizens. Ensuring justice for Nnaji is crucial to address some of the flaws in our federal system.

Mbah, not one to miss an opportunity, has moved to the APC sooner than anticipated. Speculation about his defection had been rife. He announced his formal APC membership on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, the same day Governor Douye Diri has also advertised to officially join APC.

After October 14th, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would, for the first time since 1999, lack governors in the South East and South-South, two zones it once dominated.

Those who prefer trivializing political discussions might argue that Rivers State is still PDP. However, let’s consider Rivers State to be apolitical.

If I were Nnaji, I would pursue this matter to the Supreme Court, which seems to be a more reliable interpreter of certificates than the issuing institutions.

The key issues for determination would be:

Contempt of Court: The court issued an injunction restraining the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) from tampering with his academic records. The university allegedly ignored this order.

Denial of Fair Hearing: Despite the matter being in court, he was forced to resign, rendering the outcome of the case moot.

Discrimination: Disregarding laws against discrimination, the certificate issue has been handled in a manner suggesting that Nnaji would still be Minister if he was from a different section of the map. Would he have been ousted if his certificate was from a Chicago university?

Invasion of Privacy: Nnaji’s right to privacy has been grossly violated. He has been publicly exposed and subjected to humiliation. There are precedents for similar cases; how were they managed?

Whether being a handsome prospective Governor is an offense: Some opponents allegedly claim that Nnaji’s looks are as fake as his papers.

What was the Supreme Court’s decision on alleged certificate forgers? Why did Nnaji not find out?

It will be interesting to see how Tinubu manages Nnaji’s departure. Will he target other members of the alleged “organized crime” ring? It’s unlikely that Nnaji single-handedly designed and printed those certificates. If he did, he is a genius.

Tinubu has personal experience with how agonizing these allegations can be. He is unfair to Nnaji unless he finds the forgers who could not provide the Minister with correct documents. Nnaji, if he knows them, can sue for breach of contract and consequential losses.

Of what use is the “screening” of Ministers and similar political appointees if they cannot be shielded from these embarrassments? Will the “screeners” retain their positions and be promoted for embarrassing the President? One would assume that we were done discussing certificates.

The media reported the discovery of a fake NYSC Orientation Camp in Nasarawa in 2012. No action was taken against those corps members or their mobilizers. They could be in the system, concealing the cracks that lead to the public noticing fake certificates.

More lawsuits could be forthcoming. I have been investigating a noticeable decline in the taste of Rock Beer around the same time that Nnaji claims he was an NYSC member at Plateau Breweries, then the makers of Rock. Was he directly involved in making Rock?

Lawyers with expertise in these matters, whose certificates are not in doubt, can collaborate with me to sue Nnaji, Rock, the Plateau State Government, and the NYSC, jointly and severally.

We will split the settlement 50:50.

How does the President plan to uphold his insistence on Nigerians using valid certificates? It is a courageous campaign, I admit. Is he prepared to confront the organized crime that pervades the public and private sectors?

Or is Tinubu planning to resign, just like Nnaji? Justice for Nnaji!

Finally…

A presidential clemency list is almost worthless without controversy. Tinubu curated enough controversies into his lengthy list that there is something for everyone to talk about. We may be at it without knowing when he would amend the Electoral Act. Nigerians should be woke. The next few months would run so fast that we may be late in realizing why most politicians have made 2027, and not 2026, their next year.

THE convoy of Zacch Adedeji, the chairman of FRS, that is our ‘Chief Tax Collector’, in Abuja is more than the convoy of any of the President’s/PM’s of the 27 EU countries that I have ever seen in my over 2 decades of living in Europe. Samuel Omogor on X @ 06:08 on Thursday 09 October 2025. Within 24 hours, 168,000 people had viewed the post which is longer than this excerpt. He stated that prudent management of resources was as important as collecting taxes. A reader responded that the convoy of the Head of the Fire Service in Abuja was longer.

IS time running out on President Bola Tinubu. It is in the news that he has a list of over 900 people on whom he wants to bestow national honours. I do not what they did to earn the honours but if there are over 900 people who have served Nigeria and deserve honours, should Tinubu not be worried about the quality of their service that left us in this state? A small reminder – it is national honours, not Tinubu honours.

“SIR, you’re welcome to the chamber of the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Unfortunately, we don’t clap here, we would have given you a standing ovation,” Senate President Obong Godswill Akpabio, welcoming James Ibori, former Governor of Delta State to the Senate last Wednesday. What did you learn from Obong Akpabio? For me, “We don’t clap here”. And Akpabio hasn’t had reason to change the rule?

*ISIGUZ0 is a major commentator on minor issues