Uche Nnaji, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, has been accused of presenting a forged bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
Nnaji, nominated by the Senate on July 7, 2023, and confirmed as minister a month later, was assigned to head the newly created Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology.
Controversy over his credentials has persisted since his nomination, with critics alleging he never completed his university education and that the certificates he submitted to President Tinubu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the State Security Service, and the Nigerian Senate are fake.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has now officially disowned the Bachelor of Science degree certificate linked to Nnaji, declaring he never graduated from the institution.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, UNN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, confirmed that while Nnaji was admitted into the school in 1981, he failed to complete his studies and was never issued a certificate.
In a letter dated October 2, 2025, Ortuanya wrote: “We can confirm that Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with Matriculation Number 1981/30725, was admitted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1981. From every available record, we are unable to confirm that he graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study.”
The university stressed that it “DID NOT and consequently, COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate in July 1985 to Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji.”
UNN also referenced an earlier letter issued to the Public Complaints Commission on May 13, 2025, reaffirming the same position.
As of press time, Nnaji has yet to respond to the scandal.
