Following the case of Ex Minister, Uche Nnaji, the issue of certificate forgery has now become a subject in the Nigerian political clime. Several Nigerian politicians and government officials at different times have been embroiled in matters related to certificate scandals of various levels.
Some of which include, Former lawmaker who represented Kogi West Senatorial District Dino Melaye(2017), Former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, was also involved in an NYSC certificate scandal in 2018, the immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, President Tinubu Bola Ahmed Tinubu among others.
While other officials who were accused were cleared after investigation, in very recent development, it has been confirmed that Uche Nnaji, indeed forged his University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate.
This was confirmed by an investigative panel set up by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has found.
The seven-member panel was constituted on 23 November 2025 in response to Mr Uche Nnaji’s petition to the education minister following a painstaking two-year investigation published by PREMIUM TIMES in October last year, which revealed that the then-minister forged his degree and NYSC certificates.
In December 2025, the panel delivered its comprehensive report to the minister of education.
Nnaji’s petition and constitution of the panel
In the appeal dated October 14, 2025, Mr. Uche Nnaji accused senior UNN officials of unethical disclosure, document tampering, and political manipulation of his academic records.
Additionally, the former minister accused Oguejiofor Ujam, a former acting vice-chancellor of UNN, and Simon Ortuanya, the vice-chancellor of UNN, of “issuing forged or unauthorised correspondence, improperly accessing his academic file, and facilitating media publications that misrepresented his academic history.”
The probe panel was led by the Director of the University Education Department in the ministry, Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, while James Ocheido, the deputy director of the department, served as secretary.
The panel stated that its methodical approach to the study included “documentary review, interviews, verification, and technical audit.”
It stated that members visited UNN in person during the probe, spoke with its vice-chancellor and former acting vice-chancellor, and examined relevant paperwork and university records.
Professor Ortuanya, the university’s vice-chancellor; Professor Ujam, a former acting vice-chancellor; Celine Nnebedum, the registrar; representatives of the Records Unit; and other employees involved in managing academic records were among the UNN officials questioned during the probe.
According to the panel, it also acquired and examined Mr. Uche Nnaji’s academic records and internal correspondence during the probe, including the UNN letters from 2023 and 2025.
It further stated that it examined at UNN’s past academic records, registry movement logs, Senate lists, convocation archives, electronic access logs, and other pertinent records, including Mr. Nnaji’s request for a transcript. It also confirmed the legitimacy and provenance of letters the university sent to government agencies and media outlets.
‘Nnaji forged his UNN certificate’
According to an investigation by Premium Times, Mr Uche Nnaji was initially accepted to study biological sciences at UNN during the 1981–82 academic year, however, he did not graduate after failing one of his courses—Virology (MCB 431AB)—and was not given a certificate.
Investigators conducted “a thorough review of the Senate-approved graduation list of 1985 and the personal student file” of Mr. Nnaji and discovered, among other things, that his name was not in the graduation list in the 1985 set, according to the federal government panel report exclusively obtained by sources.
The panel added that it obtained “several correspondences” dated from 8 November 1985 to 19 May 1986 between Mr Nnaji and the Registry Department of the university regarding his failed course MCB 431 – Virology, which were documented from pages 69 to 55 of the former minister’s academic file.
Additionally, it went further to state that Mr Nnaji, in his handwritten correspondence dated 19 May 1986 and titled “Application to take course, 431AB in September,” explained that he could not write the exam scheduled for 21 April 1986 due to ill health, and attached a supporting medical report.
“The panel was unable to find any record of him (Nnaji) having taken the failed course,” the report further read.
The panel questioned how Mr Uche Nnaji obtained the “purported certificate of graduation” dated July 1985, which was submitted to President Bola Tinubu for appointment and to the National Assembly for his ministerial confirmation.
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