“UNN Issued Me My Degree Certificate” — Minister Uche Nnaji Makes U-Turn on Forgery Allegation

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has reversed his earlier position on the controversy surrounding his academic credentials, insisting that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), officially issued him a degree certificate confirming his graduation in 1985.

Speaking through his spokesperson, Dr. Robert Ngwu, in Abuja on Monday, Nnaji dismissed reports alleging that he forged his academic qualifications, describing them as “deliberate misinformation” and “politically motivated falsehoods” circulated in the media.

“Let me state clearly and for the record: Chief Uche Nnaji is a proud alumnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, having graduated in July 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry, with Second Class (Honours) Lower Division,” Ngwu said.

The clarification marks a sharp turn from Nnaji’s earlier court filings in which he reportedly admitted that UNN never issued him a degree certificate. According to documents filed before Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the minister acknowledged in paragraph 13 of his verifying affidavit that he had “never collected any certificate” from the university.

The minister had instituted a suit against the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the University of Nigeria, its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, the Registrar, and other officials, seeking to compel the university to release his academic transcript and records.

The controversy deepened when a letter dated May 2025 and signed by UNN Registrar, Mrs. Celine Nnebedum, stated that a search of the 1985 graduation records showed no evidence of Nnaji’s name. Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya later reaffirmed this in an October 2025 letter to *Premium Times*, stating that “Mr Nnaji did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree by the university.”

However, Nnaji now insists that those letters are fraudulent and politically motivated. According to his spokesperson, the only authentic communication from the university is a letter dated December 21, 2023, signed by Mrs. I.A.S. Onyeador for the Registrar, confirming that Nnaji graduated in July 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree, Second Class (Honours) Lower Division.

“The only authentic letter issued by the University of Nigeria on this matter is the one dated 21 December 2023, duly stamped and signed by Mrs. Onyeador for the Registrar,” Ngwu said. “That official communication confirmed that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry and graduated in July 1985.”

Ngwu questioned the emergence of the later correspondence claiming otherwise, arguing that “two card-carrying members of the PDP suddenly emerged as Acting Vice Chancellor and then Vice Chancellor of the University,” and alleging that “political motives” were behind the contradictory statements.

He emphasized that, by academic convention, the Registrar is the custodian of examination and graduation records—not the Vice Chancellor—accusing the current leadership of “political overreach.”

According to Ngwu, the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice H.J. Yilwa, has since granted protective orders restraining UNN from tampering with Nnaji’s academic records and compelling the release of his transcript.

“The court granted an order of mandamus compelling the university to release his academic transcript,” Ngwu stated. “These are certified orders of the Federal High Court of Nigeria. That alone should settle the matter.”

He further accused “political actors and paid media platforms” of orchestrating a campaign to damage the minister’s reputation. “It is increasingly clear that this entire episode is not about education or integrity; it is about political desperation disguised as academic inquiry,” he said.

Reaffirming Nnaji’s commitment to his ministerial duties, Ngwu added that the minister “remains focused on his work and mandate, advancing innovation, building Nigeria’s science and technology capacity, and restoring the nation’s confidence in research-driven industrial growth.”

He called on the University of Nigeria to uphold its motto, “To Restore the Dignity of Man,” and reject what he described as political manipulation. “The Honourable Minister, Chief Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, graduated from UNN in 1985. The University officially confirmed this in writing in December 2023. Any other claim or document to the contrary is false, malicious, and politically motivated,” Ngwu declared.

“The truth is simple, the record is clear, and the law is now on the side of justice,” he concluded.