NEWS
FG Panel Confirms Former Minister, Uche Nnaji Forged UNN Degree and NYSC Certificates Following PREMIUM TIMES Investigation
An investigative panel constituted by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has confirmed that the immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, forged his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate, corroborating PREMIUM TIMES’ earlier exposé of the scandal.
The seven-member federal government panel, set up on 23 November 2025, was convened following a petition by Mr Nnaji in response to PREMIUM TIMES’ October 2024 investigative report that revealed discrepancies in the former minister’s academic and NYSC credentials. The panel submitted its comprehensive report to the education minister in December 2025.
In his petition dated 14 October 2025, Mr Nnaji accused senior UNN officials of unethical conduct, document tampering, and political manipulation of his academic records. He specifically targeted UNN Vice-Chancellor Simon Ortuanya and former Acting Vice-Chancellor Oguejiofor Ujam, alleging they issued unauthorized correspondence, improperly accessed his student files, and facilitated misleading media reports about his academic history.
The panel was chaired by Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, with James Ocheido, deputy director of the department, serving as secretary. Other members included Ejeh A. U, Director of Polytechnics and Allied Institutions Department; U. C. Uba, Director of Colleges of Education Department; Mohammed Ayuba, representative of the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC); Yusuf Saeed, Director of Human Resources, Ministry of Education; and Foluso Akinlonu, Director, Legal Services Unit, Ministry of Education. The panel employed a rigorous methodological approach, including documentary review, interviews, verification, and technical audits.
Investigators conducted on-site inspections at UNN in Nsukka, engaging with the Vice-Chancellor, former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Registrar Celine Nnebedum, and other university staff responsible for academic records. They reviewed UNN’s historical academic records, registry logs, Senate-approved graduation lists, convocation archives, electronic access logs, and correspondence submitted to government agencies and media organizations.
The report highlights that although Mr Nnaji was admitted to study Biological Sciences at UNN in the 1981/82 academic session, he did not graduate, failing the Virology course (MCB 431AB). Detailed reviews of the 1985 Senate-approved graduation list and Mr Nnaji’s student file revealed no record of his graduation. The panel uncovered several correspondences between Mr Nnaji and UNN Registry from 8 November 1985 to 19 May 1986 concerning his failed course. In a handwritten note dated 19 May 1986 titled “Application to take course, 431AB in September,” Mr Nnaji cited ill health for missing the April 1986 exam, attaching a medical report. The panel, however, found no evidence he ever retook the course.
Despite this, Mr Nnaji submitted a purported certificate of graduation dated July 1985 to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to secure his ministerial appointment—a certificate the panel now confirms was forged. The panel’s findings align fully with PREMIUM TIMES’ earlier investigation, which first exposed Mr Nnaji’s criminal and unethical certificate forgery.
In October 2023, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Nnaji had submitted degree and NYSC certificates to the presidency and Senate for confirmation as minister, claiming to have graduated from UNN in 1985—an assertion later disproven. In response to the investigation, Mr Nnaji filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to prevent UNN and its officials from releasing his academic records.
However, before an injunction could be obtained, UNN Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Nnaji’s degree certificate was fraudulent. The UNN registrar corroborated this, stating that although Mr Nnaji was admitted in 1981, he neither graduated nor received a certificate. Mr Nnaji resigned three days after the publication of PREMIUM TIMES’ report exposing the forgery.
Following the panel’s report, legal practitioners and civil society have renewed calls for prosecution. Liborous Oshoma criticized the government for failing to hold Mr Nnaji accountable, stressing that individuals who commit certificate forgery should be prosecuted and barred from holding public office to serve as a deterrent. PREMIUM TIMES also reported in February 2025 that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had commenced an investigation into Mr Nnaji’s certificate forgery, with insiders confirming that prosecution could follow if the forgery is substantiated.