The Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has admitted that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) never issued him a degree certificate — a stunning revelation that confirms findings from a two-year investigation by Premium Times exposing that the minister forged his academic credentials.
Allegations of certificate forgery have trailed Mr Nnaji since July 2023, when President Bola Tinubu nominated him as one of his first 28 ministers. Critics had long accused the minister of faking both his university degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates — documents he submitted to the President, the Senate, and other government offices.
Now, court documents have revealed that Mr Nnaji himself has confirmed that UNN never issued him any certificate.
Court Papers Expose the Truth
Mr Nnaji’s admission came through an affidavit he filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where he is suing the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the University of Nigeria, its Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, and others.
In the case before Justice Hauwa Yilwa, Mr Nnaji asked the court to stop UNN from “tampering with” his academic records and to compel the university to release his academic transcript. He also requested that the Education Minister and the NUC use their powers to make the university comply.
Justice Yilwa, in her September 22 ruling, granted part of Mr Nnaji’s request but declined to issue an injunction against UNN. The case is expected to continue on October 6.
Sources familiar with the matter told Premium Times that Mr Nnaji filed the suit to block the university from releasing details of his academic history — and to obtain a transcript that could remind him of where he dropped out.
The Damning Admission
In his affidavit, particularly in paragraphs 12 and 13, Mr Nnaji admitted that UNN never gave him a certificate.
He stated that he was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry, and that he “graduated” in 1985. However, he confessed:
“That even though I am yet to collect my certificate from the 3rd Defendant (UNN), due largely to the non-cooperative attitude of the 3rd–5th Defendants…”
This statement confirms what the university has already said — that Mr Nnaji did not graduate and was never issued a certificate.
University Confirms Minister Never Graduated
In a 3 October 2025 letter to Premium Times, UNN’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, confirmed that the minister failed to complete his studies and was never awarded a degree.
Similarly, UNN’s Registrar, Celine Nnebedum, who had earlier written to the People’s Azette in December 2023 claiming Mr Mrnaji graduated, later recanted her statement. In a letter to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025, she admitted that his name was missing from the 1985 graduation list.
A senior UNN official told Premium Times:
“The truth is that he never graduated from here. His file is intact — it contains records up to when he dropped out.”
Fake NYSC Certificate Also Exposed
The Premium Times investigation also uncovered that the NYSC discharge certificate presented by the minister was fake.
The document carried the signature of Colonel Animashaun Braimoh, who did not become NYSC Director until 1988, two years after the certificate’s date — May 1986. It also bore a title and numbering format that were not used in the 1980s.
NYSC officials later confirmed that there was no record showing that the minister ever served.
How It All Began
Ahead of his Senate screening on August 1, 2023, Mr Mrnaji submitted 109 copies of a 10-page résumé to lawmakers. The profile described him as a “visionary industrialist, oil and gas expert, and pro-democracy activist.”
In that document, he claimed to have obtained a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Microbiology from UNN and completed his NYSC in Jos, Plateau State. He even claimed to have worked at Jos International Breweries in 1986.
However, both the degree and NYSC certificates attached to the document have since been discredited by the university and Premium Times’ investigation.
Questions Remain
Mr Mrnaji’s admission raises serious questions:
- If UNN never issued him a degree, where did he get the certificate he submitted to the Nigerian government?
- If he never graduated, how did he qualify for NYSC service?
Despite repeated efforts, Premium Times said Mr Mrnaji refused to comment on the matter. He ignored letters, calls, and emails sent to his office earlier this year.
Mr Mrnaji’s admission marks a major twist in an ongoing forgery scandal surrounding one of President Tinubu’s ministers. The case could lead to serious legal and political consequences as Nigerians demand greater accountability from public officials.
