By Obinna Uballa
An investigative panel set up by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has confirmed that former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, forged his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate, according to a report by Premium Times, an online newspaper.
The seven-member panel, constituted on November 23, 2025, submitted its findings in December following a petition from Nnaji disputing prior reports that revealed he had falsified his degree and NYSC certificates.
In his petition dated October 14, 2025, Nnaji alleged that senior UNN officials, including Vice-Chancellor Simon Ortuanya and former Acting Vice-Chancellor Oguejiofor Ujam, had engaged in unethical disclosure, document tampering, and politically motivated manipulation of his academic records.
He accused the officials of issuing unauthorized correspondence, improperly accessing his files, and facilitating media publications that misrepresented his academic history.
The panel, led by Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, Director of the University Education Department, employed a combination of documentary review, interviews, verification, and technical audit to investigate the matter. Other members included representatives from the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Ministry’s Colleges of Education and Polytechnic Departments, and the ministry’s Legal and Human Resources units.
During the investigation, panel members visited UNN in Nsukka, met with university officials – including the Vice-Chancellor, former Acting Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, and Records Unit staff – and reviewed Nnaji’s academic files and internal correspondence.
They also examined historic Senate-approved graduation lists, registry movement logs, convocation archives, and electronic access logs to verify the authenticity of his documents.
The panel found that although Nnaji was admitted to study Biological Sciences at UNN in the 1981/82 academic session, he did not graduate after failing Virology (MCB 431AB). Examination of the 1985 Senate-approved graduation list and his personal student file showed that his name was absent. Correspondences from November 1985 to May 1986 revealed that he requested to retake the failed course, citing ill health, and there is no record of him completing it.
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Despite this, Nnaji submitted a purported certificate of graduation dated July 1985 to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly during his ministerial confirmation. The panel’s report corroborates earlier Premium Times investigations, which exposed the former minister’s criminal and unethical certificate forgery.
Prior to the panel’s findings, Nnaji had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to prevent UNN and its officials from releasing his academic records. However, Ortuanya had already confirmed to Premium Times that Nnaji forged his degree certificate, a position later corroborated by the university registrar.
Similarly, NYSC authorities disowned the discharge certificate in his possession. Nnaji resigned three days after the newspaper published its report exposing the forgeries.
The scandal sparked widespread calls for prosecution. Legal practitioner Liborous Oshoma criticized the government for not pursuing criminal action, emphasizing that public figures who forge credentials should face prosecution and be barred from holding office to deter similar misconduct.
The New Diplomat gathered that in February that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) opened an investigation into Nnaji’s forgery scandal. Insiders indicated that he could face prosecution if the probe confirms the falsification of his academic credentials.
