The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has denied issuing the Bachelor of Science degree certificate presented by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, insisting that he did not complete his studies at the institution and was never awarded a degree.
Allegations of certificate forgery have trailed Mr. Nnaji since July 2023, when President Bola Tinubu included him in the first batch of 28 ministerial nominees submitted to the Senate for confirmation, two months after assuming office on May 29, 2023.
Critics have long maintained that the minister never graduated from UNN and that both the bachelor’s degree and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he submitted to President Tinubu, as well as to the offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the State Security Service, and the Nigerian Senate, were counterfeit.
In response to a Freedom of Information request by PREMIUM TIMES, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, confirmed that although Mr. Nnaji was admitted in 1981, he failed to complete his programme and was never issued a certificate.
“We refer to your letter dated 29 September 2025 in respect of the above subject matter,” Mr. Ortuanya wrote in a letter dated October 2, 2025. “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 records and information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to confirm that Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology, graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
“Flowing from above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka DID NOT and consequently, COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate, or at all, in July 1985 to Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology. This conclusion is also in consonance with an earlier letter dated May 13, 2025, ref. No. RUN/SR/R/V, issued by the University to the Public Complaints Commission in respect of the same subject matter (copy attached).”
The UNN’s declaration adds a new twist to the controversy surrounding Mr. Nnaji’s credentials, further intensifying questions over his eligibility to serve in President Tinubu’s cabinet.
