By Titilope Adako
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has reportedly admitted that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), never issued him a degree certificate.
His statement aligns with a two-year investigation by PREMIUM TIMES, which revealed that UNN did not issue the credentials he submitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial confirmation.
Allegations of certificate forgery have trailed Nnaji since July 2023, when President Tinubu named him among the first batch of 28 ministerial nominees sent to the Senate. Critics alleged that Nnaji never completed his studies and that the bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he presented were forged.
For the first time, Nnaji has addressed the allegations confirming in court filings that UNN never issued him a certificate.
The admission was contained in a case he filed against the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), UNN, its Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, its Registrar, former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Oguenjiofor Ujam, and the university’s Senate.
In the suit before Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Nnaji sought an order to stop UNN from “tampering with” his academic records and to compel the university to release his transcript. He also urged the Minister of Education and the NUC to exercise their supervisory powers to ensure compliance.
Justice Yilwa, in a ruling on 22 September, granted three of the minister’s requests but declined to issue an injunction against the defendants. The case was adjourned to 6 October for further hearing.
Sources familiar with the matter said Nnaji filed the case to prevent the university from releasing details of his academic record, including to PREMIUM TIMES. He is also said to have requested a transcript to “refresh his memory” on where he left off.
In paragraphs 12 and 13 of his affidavit supporting the motion, Nnaji accused UNN officials of refusing to issue him a certificate, thereby confirming that he never collected one.
He stated that he was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry and completed the programme in 1985. However, he added: “That even though I am yet to collect my certificate from the 3rd Defendant (UNN), due largely to the non-cooperative attitude of the 3rd–5th Defendants (UNN, its Vice-Chancellor, and Registrar), the 3rd Defendant issued a letter dated 21st December 2023 to People’s Gazette… confirming that I graduated.”
The letter, signed by UNN Registrar Celine Nnebedum, was sent to People’s Gazette in response to an enquiry but has since been invalidated.
Mrs Nnebedum later recanted in a letter to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in May 2025, saying the university searched its 1985 records and could not find Nnaji’s name.
UNN Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya also confirmed in a letter to PREMIUM TIMES dated 3 October 2025 that Nnaji never completed his studies and was never awarded a degree.
A senior UNN official told PREMIUM TIMES: “The truth of the matter is that he never graduated from here. His file is intact and contains details up to the point where he dropped out.”
Despite several attempts, Nnaji has refused to comment publicly. He ignored a detailed enquiry from PREMIUM TIMES sent in January 2024 and acknowledged by his office.
His admission raises crucial questions about the authenticity of the degree and NYSC certificates he submitted to the Nigerian authorities.
Ahead of his Senate screening on 1 August 2023, Nnaji submitted a 10-page profile document describing himself as “a visionary industrialist, oil and gas expert, construction giant, healthcare practitioner, pro-democracy activist, trade and investment strategist, and environmental protection expert.”
He claimed to have earned a combined degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology from UNN and to have served with the NYSC in 1985 as a laboratory supervisor at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, later working at Jos International Breweries in 1986.
Copies of his supposed UNN Bachelor of Science degree and NYSC certificate were attached to his Senate submission — documents that have since become central to PREMIUM TIMES’ ongoing investigation.
With Nnaji’s confirmation that UNN never issued him a degree certificate, the question now is: if not from UNN, where did the certificate he presented to the Nigerian authorities come from?
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