The minister of science and technology, Uche Nnaji, on Monday failed to attend a press conference his office convened to address allegations of certificate forgery against him.
Journalists were invited to the event, scheduled for 2 p.m. at the ministry’s conference room in Abuja, with the invitation titled “Minister Speaks”.
The invitation suggested that Nnaji would personally respond to questions about an investigation that accused him of forging his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
However, after over an hour’s wait, the minister did not show up.
The briefing eventually commenced at about 3:30 p.m. and was presided over by Nnaji’s spokesperson, Robert Ngwu, alongside other officials of the ministry.
Premium Times had on Saturday published findings from a two-year investigation alleging that Nnaji falsified the academic and service credentials he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial screening in 2023.
Allegations of certificate forgery have trailed the minister since July 2023, when Tinubu included him among the first batch of 28 ministerial nominees sent to the Senate for confirmation.
Critics have long claimed that Nnaji did not complete his studies at UNN and that the certificates he presented to federal authorities were forged.