The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known while responding to inquiries about the controversy.
By Titilope Adako
The Presidency has said it will not take any immediate action against the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, who is facing allegations of certificate forgery, until the court delivers its judgment on the matter.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known while responding to inquiries about the controversy.
Onanuga told Leadership newspaper, “This matter is already in court. We should await the verdict of the court.”
The controversy surrounding Nnaji’s academic records deepened last week after the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), disowned the Bachelor of Science degree certificate allegedly submitted by the minister.
In a letter dated October 2, 2025, and signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, the university stated that although Nnaji was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry, he did not complete the programme.
“From every available record and information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology, graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study.
“Following the above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka DID NOT and, consequently, COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate in July 1985 to Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji,” the letter read.
The institution noted that its position was consistent with an earlier communication to the Public Complaints Commission dated May 13, 2025.
In his response filed before the Federal High Court, Nnaji admitted that he had not collected his degree certificate, blaming the delay on the university’s “non-cooperative attitude.”
However, the minister maintains that he graduated in 1985, referencing a previous letter from the university in December 2023 which, according to him, had confirmed his graduation.
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