The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Sunday, October 5, 2025, demanded that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should urgently sanitize his cabinet by sacking and suspending ministers entangled in alleged corruption and forgery scandals.
This was as HURIWA noted that that the President’s silence in the face of mounting allegations and presumed evidence of alleged misconduct portrays him as indifferent to accountability, transparency, and the fight against corruption.
The human rights body described Tinubu’s refusal to act despite weighty allegations against members of his cabinet as “disrespectful to Nigerians who are the rightful custodians of national sovereignty”.
A statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko, National Coordinator of HURIWA, stressed that allowing allegedly tainted officials to remain in office, makes the administration complicit in shielding wrongdoing at the highest levels of government.
HURIWA said what a good government does when such allegations come up, is to take open, transparent and visible measures to investigate and then act swiftly if the accusations are proven.
It stressed that Tinubu’s silence fuels distrust and erodes confidence in governance, stressing that it is the duty of the President to protect the interests of the people, and not to shield cronies, saying that “accountability is the foundation of governance”.
While citing the allegation of corruption levelled against the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, HURIWA demanded for his immediate suspension particularly against the backdrop of the damning investigative reports alleging that he secretly acquired and transferred multimillion-dollar properties in Florida, United States, to his children through illicit cash transactions.
HURIWA insisted that the weight of evidence against Wike warrants immediate suspension pending the outcome of a thorough investigation.
It said; “Suspension is a temporary measure to preserve the sanctity of public office. It does not amount to guilt, but it signals that this government will not condone impropriety or shield any official under investigation. Anything less would mean complicity”.
HURIWA also urged the President to liaise with the U.S. authorities to establish the facts and warned that Nigerians are growing disillusioned with the government’s handling of corruption scandals.
It particularly cautioned that failure to act will embolden corrupt practices and weaken Nigeria’s global standing, thus urged President Tinubu to respect the intelligence and patience of Nigerians by cleaning up his cabinet without further delay.
HURIWA equally noted the case of the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr. Uche Nnaji, HURIWA in which the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), reportedly confirmed that the certificate he parades is not authentic as he never graduated from the institution.
It further said that in the same vein, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has allegedly stated that the national service certificate tendered by the minister cannot be authenticated.
HURIWA emphasised that the revelations leave no room for hesitation, adding that a minister sitting in the federal cabinet on the strength of alleged forged documents, makes a mockery of our democracy, diminishes public confidence in government, and tarnishes Nigeria’s image internationally.
It therefore insisted that President Tinubu must show leadership by sacking Nnaji without further delay if the report by Premium Times is confirmed as true.
