The Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has acknowledged that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) never issued him a degree certificate. This admission confirms the outcome of a detailed two-year investigation by PREMIUM TIMES, which found that Mr. Nnaji forged the academic credentials he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial screening.
Accusations of certificate forgery have trailed Mr. Nnaji since July 2023, when President Tinubu included him among the first 28 ministerial nominees presented to the Senate, two months after assuming office on 29 May 2023.
For months, critics have maintained that Mr. Nnaji did not complete his studies at UNN and that both the bachelor’s degree and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he submitted to the President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the State Security Service (SSS), and the Senate were falsified.
The PREMIUM TIMES investigation provided conclusive evidence showing that both the university degree and the NYSC discharge certificate in his possession were forgeries.
Mr. Nnaji has now publicly addressed the allegations for the first time, admitting that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, never issued him any certificate.