Barely 24 hours after the embattled Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, resigned from his position over allegations of certificate forgery, the Senate has absolved itself of any wrongdoing.
Orji Uzor-Kalu, the senator representing Abia North Senatorial District affirmed that the Senate has never been saddled with the responsibility of verifying certificates of nominees sent to the Red Chamber for screening.
The lawmaker’s defence on behalf of the Nigerian Senate comes on the heels of condemnation of Nnaji’s successful screening and further appointment on August 16, 2023, despite a forgery allegation levelled against him at the time.
According to Uzor-Kalu, the Senate is only responsible for screening nominees, and in the case of Nnaji, the lawmaker stated that the Red Chamber did a good job.
Uzor-Kalu’s words, “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 said.
He further commended Nnaji for the courage to resign his position as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria amid the ongoing forgery controversy.
“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.
Asked whether he believes the minister’s certificate forgery ordeal and subsequent resignation is a dent on the Southeast, its leaders and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Uzor-Kalu said, “No”.
He boasted that, with the minister gone, the president remains at liberty to replace him with another nominee from the APC and most likely of the 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.
