FG Panel Confirms Former Minister Uche Nnaji Forged UNN Degree Certificate
An investigative panel constituted by the Federal Government has confirmed that the immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, forged the degree certificate he presented as having been issued by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
PulseNets learned that the seven member investigative committee, established by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, concluded that the former minister did not graduate from the university despite presenting a certificate purportedly issued in 1985.
The panel was constituted on November 23, 2025, after Nnaji submitted a petition to the Minister of Education. In the petition dated October 14, 2025, the former minister accused officials of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka of unethical disclosure of information, tampering with documents, and politically motivated manipulation of his academic records.
PulseNets obtained details of the petition in which Nnaji alleged that the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Simon Ortuanya, alongside a former Acting Vice Chancellor, Oguejiofor Ujam, issued forged or unauthorised correspondence relating to his academic records. He further claimed that both officials improperly accessed his student file and facilitated media reports that misrepresented his academic history.
The investigative committee, chaired by the Director of the University Education Department at the Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, submitted its findings to the Minister of Education in December 2025.
According to documents reviewed by PulseNets, the panel relied on documentary examination, interviews, record verification, and a technical audit process in conducting the investigation.
Members of the panel reportedly visited the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where they engaged key university officials, including the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar, while also reviewing academic records and internal correspondence relating to Nnaji.
PulseNets learnt that the panel carefully examined the Senate approved graduation list for the 1985 academic year as well as the personal student file of the former minister. Their findings showed that Nnaji’s name did not appear on the official graduation list for that year.
The committee also reviewed several correspondences exchanged between Nnaji and the university registry between November 1985 and May 1986 concerning a failed course identified as Virology (MCB 431).
One of the documents examined by the panel included a handwritten letter dated May 19, 1986, in which Nnaji reportedly requested permission to retake the failed course, explaining that he could not sit for the earlier examination due to illness.
However, PulseNets gathered from the report that investigators found no record indicating that the former minister subsequently passed the course.
The panel consequently questioned the circumstances under which Nnaji obtained the certificate of graduation dated July 1985, which he later submitted to President Bola Tinubu during his ministerial appointment process and also presented to the National Assembly for confirmation screening.
The panel’s conclusions align with findings from an earlier investigation by Premium Times, which reported that although Nnaji was admitted into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka during the 1981/82 academic session to study Biological Sciences, he did not complete the programme after failing a compulsory course.
The earlier report also revealed that the National Youth Service Corps disowned the NYSC discharge certificate presented by the former minister.
PulseNets reported that Nnaji resigned from his ministerial position three days after the investigative report became public.
The development triggered widespread reactions across Nigeria, with several citizens calling for his prosecution, insisting that resignation alone should not absolve him of alleged legal violations.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: How SSS ignored NYSC alert, misled Nigerian Senate to confirm Uche Nnaji as Tinubu’s tech minister with forged national service certificate
A legal practitioner, Liborous Oshoma, recently criticised the Federal Government for failing to prosecute the former minister, arguing that individuals implicated in certificate forgery should face criminal prosecution and be barred from holding public office.
Meanwhile, PulseNets learnt that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has commenced an investigation into the alleged certificate forgery and may initiate prosecution if the allegations are fully established.
