Onoh: Asking DSS to Vet Public Office Nominees Over Certificates Is Wrong

Regarding the screening of the former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, Denge Onoh, the former South-East spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, has cleared the Department for State Services, or DSS, of any responsibility.

Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Onoh emphasized that it is improper and a complete misuse of the DSS’s operations to continuously request that candidates for public office undergo the screening process. He added this should end right away.

Nigeria should go past the third-world nation practices and adopt a globally recognized standard, he suggested.

He claimed that the military junta used the DSS because the Constitution was suspended and that the democratic government had normalized and maintained the unlawful behavior.

“Checking the educational background of a president’s nominee for public office is not the constitutional responsibility of the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS),” Onoh insisted.

The former presidential spokesperson emphasized that the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) does not give the DSS this responsibility. Instead, the Constitution delineates specific roles, whereby the Senate carries out the formal screening and confirmation process to determine suitability, including qualifications, and the President appoints individuals for positions such as ministers (under sections 147 and 154).

“Usually, the issuing institutions (such as universities) or the Senate during hearings verify the educational credentials of such nominees, not the DSS.”

The DSS’s primary responsibilities include counterintelligence, internal security, and senior official protection, including stopping crimes that endanger national security.

Although DSS responsibilities are not specifically stated in the Nigerian Constitution, they are incorporated into the executive branch’s larger authority (Section 5). He emphasized that it excludes verifying educational credentials as a required regulatory requirement.