HURIWA DEFENDS EX-MINISTER NNAJI OVER POST-RESIGNATION SALARY PAYMENTS, FAULTS FRAUD ALLEGATIONS AS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has strongly defended former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, against ongoing allegations that he deliberately received and retained government salary payments after leaving office. In an official statement issued in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the prominent rights group described the fraud accusations as unfounded rhetoric driven by ignorance and political mischief. HURIWA emphasized that available documentary evidence clearly demonstrates that Nnaji neither requested nor orchestrated the post-resignation disbursements, but instead personally alerted federal authorities to the administrative anomaly as soon as it was detected.

​Details provided by the civil society organization reveal that Chief Nnaji, who officially resigned his ministerial appointment on October 7, 2025, initiated formal communication with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) upon discovering the ongoing deposits. In his official correspondence to the SGF, Nnaji explicitly requested the government to provide exact financial computations and designated central account details so he could execute a complete refund of all funds mistakenly paid into his account post-resignation. Furthering his commitment to full restitution, the former minister issued a direct authorization to Fidelity Bank Plc on June 25, 2026, directing the financial institution to debit his account and remit the total accrued amount back to the Federal Government via the Remita platform under the Office of the SGF.

​HURIWA argued that these proactive steps completely invalidate claims of criminal intent or unlawful enrichment, pointing out that no individual seeking to loot public funds would voluntarily notify the government and mandate their bank to return the money. Rather than subjecting the former minister to public vilification and media trials, the rights group urged anti-graft bodies—including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)—to redirect their investigative focus toward the structural vulnerabilities within the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and identify the administrative personnel responsible for keeping inactive profiles open on the federal payroll.

​Concluding its intervention, the advocacy group warned against the dangerous trend of weaponizing regulatory lapses within federal institutions to settle local political rivalries in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 general elections. Comrade Onwubiko reaffirmed HURIWA’s support for authentic anti-corruption enforcement, but cautioned that anti-graft agencies must maintain strict neutrality, protect their institutional integrity, and resist being manipulated into executing political vendettas against opposition figures under the guise of financial accountability.