The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has disowned the Bachelor of Science degree certificate in the possession of the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, stating that the politician “did not complete his studies” at the institution and “was never issued a certificate.”
This action by the university follows a similar verdict delivered months earlier by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which told PREMIUM TIMES that the certificate of national service the Minister was parading was “strange to it and could not be authenticated.”
The allegations of certificate forgery have surrounded Mr. Nnaji since July 2023, when President Bola Tinubu named him a ministerial nominee.
Critics insist that he did not complete his university education and that both the bachelor’s degree and the NYSC certificate he presented to various government offices are counterfeit.
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In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request from PREMIUM TIMES, Simon U. Ortuanya, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, confirmed that while Mr. Nnaji was admitted in 1981, he did not graduate.
Mr. Ortuanya wrote in a letter dated October 2, 2025:“We can confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with Matriculation Number 1981/30725, was admitted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1981.”
“From every available records and information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji… graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.”
The Vice-Chancellor gave a categorical conclusion:“Flowing from above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka DID NOT and consequently, COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate, or at all, in July 1985 to Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji.”
This latest confirmation aligns with an earlier verdict given by the university to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025.
The UNN ruling is the high point of PREMIUM TIMES’ two-year investigation into the Minister’s credentials.
The newspaper began investigating the issue in October 2023 after a whistleblower alerted them to discrepancies.
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The investigation revealed that Mr. Nnaji did not graduate from UNN because he “failed some of his courses” (including Virology, MCB 431AB) and failed to attend several rewrite opportunities, prompting the university to advise him to withdraw.
Reporters also sighted a letter Mr. Nnaji wrote in May 1986, pleading for yet another opportunity to take an outstanding terminal course.
The two-year investigation concluded that Mr. Nnaji is a “serial forger” who “manufactured two key credentials” to gain political advantage.
The investigation revealed multiple “glaring discrepancies” in Mr. Nnaji’s purported NYSC certificate, dated May 15, 1986:
- Wrong Signatory: The certificate bore the signature of Animashaun Braimoh, who served as NYSC CEO between January 1988 and December 1990—eighteen months after the claimed service date. The head at the time was then-Colonel Edet Akpan.
- Wrong Designation: The certificate was signed by a “National Director” in 1986, years before that designation was introduced. All 25 certificates reviewed by the newspaper from that era were signed by a “Director.”
- Wrong Serial Numbering: Mr. Nnaji’s certificate number, A231309, included an alphabetic character (A), a practice that did not begin until the 1990s.
- Wrong Service Period: The certificate claimed service for 13 months (April 16, 1985, to May 15, 1986), whereas corps members statutorily serve for 12 months.
While Mr. Nnaji’s purported degree certificate looked genuine on the surface, its details contradicted the NYSC certificate:
- The degree certificate claimed he graduated in July 1985.
- The NYSC certificate claimed he began his youth service on April 16, 1985—three months before he finished university, which would be a record and is highly unlikely.
Mr. Nnaji has not responded to the paper’s inquiries, which were sent in January 2024 and followed up multiple times.
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