The Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, on Monday, refused to look for a press convention which his workplace referred to as for to handle the certificates forgery scandal involving him.
But as an alternative of the minister, his spokesperson, Robert Ngwu, alongside different officers of the ministry in Abuja, confirmed up within the minister’s convention room lengthy after the two p.m. scheduled for the occasion.
PREMIUM TIMES revealed an investigation report on Saturday revealing that Mr Nnaji solid the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and nationwide youth service certiifcates he introduced to safe his ministerial appointment in 2023.
The minister’s workplace despatched out Monday morning an invite to journalists to attend a press convention, anticipated to handle the scandal, at 2 p.m. in Abuja.
The invitation, tittled, ‘MINISTER SPEAKS,’ seemed that Mr Nnaji was going to personally converse to and discipline questions from journalists.
Based on the invitation, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Nnaji was prepared to talk on this newspaper’s publication.
Journalists from varied native and worldwide media retailers working within the nation additionally stuffed the convention room designated by the minister’s media workforce forward of the two p.m. scheduled for the assembly.
But after one and a half hours of the journalists’ wait within the convention room, the minister failed to look.
The press briefing assembly which was initially slated for two:00 p.m., finally commenced at about 3:30 p.m., however was presided by the minister’s spokesperson, Mr Ngwu, alongside different officers of the ministry in Abuja.
READ ALSO: Certificate Forgery: Embattled minister to speak today
A painstaking two-year investigation published by PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday revealed that Mr Nnaji solid the credentials he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate throughout his ministerial affirmation in 2023.
Allegations of certificates forgery have dogged Mr Nnaji since July 2023, when President Tinubu named him among the many first batch of 28 ministerial nominees from 25 states forwarded to the Senate as a part of the president’s preliminary cupboard listing, two months after taking workplace on 29 May 2023.
Critics have lengthy insisted that Mr Nnaji didn’t full his college training and that the bachelor’s diploma and NYSC certificates he introduced to President Tinubu and the workplaces of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the State Security Service, and the Senate had been solid.
More Details quickly…