The minister of science and technology has finally admitted that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), never gave him a degree certificate, confirming earlier reports that he might have forged his academic credentials.
The controversy over his certificate began in July 2023 when President Tinubu included Nnaji among the first batch of ministerial nominees. Soon after the announcement, critics questioned the authenticity of his academic and NYSC certificates, claiming he never completed his university education.
The admission surfaced in a case Nnaji filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, before Justice Hauwa Yilwa. In the suit, he sued the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the University of Nigeria, its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, its Registrar, Professor Oguenjiofor Ujam (a former Acting Vice-Chancellor), and the university’s Senate.
Justice Yilwa, in her ruling on September 22, granted three of the minister’s requests but refused to issue an injunction stopping the university from acting. The matter was adjourned to October 6 for further hearing.
Sources familiar with the case said that Nnaji’s legal action was an attempt to block the university from releasing details of his academic records to journalists or investigators. He was also said to be pushing to obtain his transcript to “refresh his memory” about where he may have stopped during his university days.
UNN disowned the certificate Mr Nnaji presented for his appointment.
The university’s action came months after authorities at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) similarly told news men that the certificate of national service being paraded by Mr Nnaji was strange to it and could not be authenticated.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, Simon Ortuanya, the vice-chancellor of UNN, wrote in a letter in 2 October that although Mr Nnaji was admitted to the institution in 1981, he did not complete his studies and was never awarded a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology/Biochemistry with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) in July 1985 as claimed.
The university’s reply to this enquiry contradicted an earlier response on 21 December 2023, in which Celine Nnebedum, the university registrar, responded to a newspaper’s enquiry, saying Mr Nnaji graduated from the institution in July 1985.
The minister admitted in his court filing that UNN never issued him a degree certificate. In paragraphs 12 and 13 of his 34-paragraph verifying affidavit supporting the motion, he accused UNN officials of refusing to issue him a certificate and, in the process, confirmed that he “never collected one.”
On Monday, the minister refused to appear for a press conference which his office called for to address the certificate forgery scandal involving him.
The press briefing meeting which was initially slated for 2:00 p.m., eventually commenced at about 3:30 p.m., but was presided by the minister’s spokesperson, Mr Ngwu, alongside other officials of the ministry in Abuja.
