Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the Department of State Services, DSS, should be held accountable for the clearance of the immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji.
Abubakar made this known in a statement issued in Abuja, yesterday, while reacting to Nnaji’s resignation as a member of the Federal Executive Council over alleged certificate forgery.
News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that Nnaji, who was appointed minister in August 2023 by President Bola Tinubu, tendered his resignation on Tuesday.
NAN also reports that the resignation was confirmed by the president’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement issued on Tuesday, saying Tinubu had accepted Nnaji’s decision to quit the cabinet.
However, Abubakar, in the statement, expressed concern over the clearance of Nnaji by the DSS.
According to him, the failure of the DSS to do due diligence has made Nigeria an object of ridicule, wondering how many more of such individuals are still occupying sensitive positions in the country.
Abubakar also faulted his “voluntary resignation”, saying he should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation.
“He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification,’’ he said.
The former vice president said permitting him to quietly exit through the backdoor would aid other forgers, impostors and morally-bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.
“Until this cleansing is done, Nigeria will continue to sink deeper into moral decay, economic ruin and global embarrassment.
“The time has come to rescue our country from the grip of deceit and restore integrity to public life,’’ he said. NAN
