The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has officially disowned the Bachelor of Science degree certificate claimed by Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a formal response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Premium Times, the university stated that while Mr Nnaji was admitted in 1981, there is no record showing he completed his studies or graduated from the institution.
According to the letter signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, and dated October 2, 2025, the university’s records confirmed Nnaji’s admission but not his graduation.
“From every available record 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,” the statement read.
“Flowing from above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka DID NOT and consequently COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate in July 1985 to Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji.”
The UNN’s position aligns with an earlier letter it sent to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025, where it similarly stated that Nnaji did not graduate from the university.
The new disclosure follows an extensive investigation into Nnaji’s academic and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) credentials, which began in late 2023 after a whistleblower raised concerns about discrepancies in his documents.
According to Premium Times, university records revealed that Nnaji failed to complete key courses — including Virology — and was eventually advised to withdraw. Despite this, he later presented a certificate claiming he graduated in July 1985.
A letter he wrote to the university on May 1, 1986, pleading to be allowed to retake an outstanding course, was also sighted by investigators. His name was reportedly missing from the official roll of graduates at UNN’s 20th Convocation Ceremony in 1985.
Further investigations uncovered inconsistencies in the NYSC certificate Nnaji presented. The document was dated May 1986 but bore the signature of Colonel Animashaun Braimoh, who only became NYSC Director in 1988. It also carried the title “National Director,” a designation introduced years later, and a numbering format inconsistent with NYSC certificates of the 1980s.
The NYSC has since confirmed it had no record of issuing any certificate to Mr Nnaji.
During his ministerial screening on August 1, 2023, Nnaji told the Senate that he graduated from UNN in 1985 and completed his NYSC in Jos the following year — a claim broadcast live nationwide. His resume, containing the disputed qualifications, was also read out at his inauguration on August 22, 2023, without challenge.
The university’s latest confirmation directly contradicts an earlier letter issued by UNN Registrar Celine Nnebedum to The People’s Gazette in December 2023, which claimed Nnaji graduated in 1985. She later recanted before the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025, admitting his name was not on the graduation list.
Repeated efforts by Premium Times to obtain Nnaji’s reaction — including acknowledged enquiries, calls, and emails — have gone unanswered.
With both the alleged degree and NYSC certificates discredited, the minister now faces mounting allegations of forgery, raising serious questions about how he advanced in both public and private sectors over the years.