(DDM) – Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has issued a strong rebuke against what he described as Nigeria’s growing culture of forgery and deceit among public officials, warning that the nation is dangerously normalizing criminal behavior at the highest levels of government.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that Obi’s comments followed an explosive investigative report published by Premium Times, which revealed that Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet, admitted under oath that he never obtained a university degree.
According to court documents presented before Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nnaji acknowledged that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), never issued him a Bachelor of Science degree certificate.
The institution had reportedly disowned his alleged credentials, affirming that the minister never completed his studies and that his supposed degree was invalid.
The controversy has since sparked widespread public outrage, with critics accusing the government of shielding officials implicated in academic fraud while the nation’s youth face unemployment and disillusionment.
Obi, reacting to the revelations on Monday, described the incident as a national disgrace and a reflection of the deep moral collapse in Nigeria’s leadership culture.
He asserted that those who are meant to set examples of honesty and integrity have become “the very source of the nation’s decay.”
The former Anambra governor stressed that such dishonest conduct among public officeholders damages the moral compass of young Nigerians who look up to leaders for guidance and ethical direction.
Citing global standards, Obi referenced Indonesia as a model example, where candidates found guilty of presenting falsified qualifications are swiftly disqualified and prosecuted by the authorities.
He lamented that despite having similar laws in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) routinely fails to verify candidates’ certificates before elections.
According to him, INEC often ignores allegations of forgery or dismisses them as “pre-election matters,” thereby allowing corrupt politicians to occupy public offices unchallenged.
Obi further questioned how individuals with questionable credentials manage to scale through multiple layers of scrutiny, including security checks, legislative screening, and even court affidavits attesting to the authenticity of their documents.
He warned that such lapses erode the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process and deepen public distrust in governance.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Obi proposed that all political aspirants should be mandated to submit their academic certificates to INEC immediately after their party primaries.
He argued that the electoral body would then have sufficient time to investigate and verify all documents, including past complaints of certificate forgery and falsified qualifications.
Obi concluded that Nigeria’s failure to uphold integrity in public life would continue to undermine its moral and democratic foundations unless decisive action is taken to punish offenders regardless of political affiliation.
The Labour Party leader’s statement has reignited public debate about integrity in governance and raised questions over how many more high-ranking officials may have falsified their qualifications to gain access to power.
