Barely 24 hours after the embattled Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, resigned from his position over allegations of certificate forgery, the Nigerian Senate has moved to absolve itself of any wrongdoing in the matter.
Orji Uzor-Kalu, the senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, firmly asserted that the Senate has never been saddled with the constitutional responsibility of verifying the academic certificates of nominees sent to the Red Chamber for screening and confirmation.
The lawmaker’s public defence on behalf of the entire Senate comes amidst widespread public condemnation directed at the legislative body. This criticism focuses on how Nnaji successfully underwent screening and was subsequently appointed on August 16, 2023, despite forgery allegations being levelled against him at that very time.
According to Uzor-Kalu, the Senate’s role is limited to the screening of nominees, and he insisted that in the specific case of Nnaji, the Red Chamber performed its duty effectively and correctly.
Uzor-Kalu stated, “Well, we (the Nigerian Senate) are not supposed to be looking at certificates, our duty is to screen the candidates not certificates. And the Senate did a very good job by screening him,” the lawmaker affirmed.
He further took a moment to commend the former minister for his decision to resign from his position as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria amid the ongoing forgery controversy, framing it as an honourable act.
“I congratulate him for resigning because if you have anything that is in conflict with what you do, you quietly resign and it’s an honourable thing to do. So I don’t even think it is an issue to discuss,” Uzor-Kalu added.
When asked whether he believes the minister’s certificate forgery ordeal and subsequent resignation casts a negative shadow on the Southeast region, its leaders, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Uzor-Kalu responded with a simple, “No”.
He instead boasted that, with the minister’s position now vacant, President Bola Tinubu remains at full liberty to replace him with another nominee from the APC, who would most likely also be of Southeastern extraction.
“When one door closes another window opens, it’s just that I pity him, he’s a very good friend of mine; unfortunately, it happened,” he added, expressing personal sympathy for Nnaji while maintaining an optimistic outlook for the political process.
