An investigative panel set up by the Federal Government has confirmed that the immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, forged his degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
The seven-member panel, constituted by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, found that the former minister did not graduate from the institution despite presenting a certificate purportedly issued in 1985.
The panel was established on November 23, 2025, following a petition submitted by Nnaji to the education minister. In the petition dated October 14, 2025, the former minister accused officials of the university of unethical disclosure, document tampering, and political manipulation of his academic records.
He specifically alleged that the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Simon Ortuanya, and a former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Oguejiofor Ujam, had issued forged or unauthorised correspondence, improperly accessed his academic file, and facilitated media reports that misrepresented his academic history.
The investigative panel, led by the Director of the University Education Department in the Ministry of Education, Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, submitted its report to the minister in December 2025.
According to the report, the panel adopted documentary review, interviews, verification and technical audit in the course of the investigation.
Members of the panel visited the university, interacted with key officials, including the vice-chancellor and the registrar, and examined academic records and internal correspondence related to Nnaji.
The investigators said they reviewed the Senate-approved graduation list of 1985 and the personal student file of the former minister and discovered that his name did not appear on the graduation list for that year.
The panel also examined correspondence between Nnaji and the university registry between November 1985 and May 1986 concerning a failed course, Virology (MCB 431).
In one of the handwritten letters dated May 19, 1986, Nnaji reportedly applied to retake the failed course, stating that he could not sit for the earlier examination due to ill health.
However, the panel said it found no record indicating that the former minister later passed the course.
It therefore questioned how Nnaji obtained the purported certificate of graduation dated July 1985, which he submitted to President Bola Tinubu during his ministerial appointment and to the National Assembly of Nigeria for confirmation.
The panel’s findings align with an earlier investigation by Premium Times, which reported that although Nnaji gained admission into the university in the 1981/82 academic session to study Biological Sciences, he did not graduate after failing a required course.
The report had also revealed that the National Youth Service Corps disowned the discharge certificate presented by the former minister.
Nnaji resigned from his ministerial position three days after the investigation was published.
Following the development, several Nigerians called for his prosecution, arguing that resignation alone was insufficient given the alleged violations of the law.
A legal practitioner, Liborous Oshoma, recently criticised the government for failing to prosecute the former minister, saying individuals involved in certificate forgery should be prosecuted and barred from holding public office.
Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has reportedly begun an investigation into the alleged forgery and may proceed with prosecution if the claims are established.
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