Politically motivated smear”, Minister denies certificate forgery allegation
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, has denied allegations of certificate forgery levelled against him by some Nigerian news outlets.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja on Monday, Nnaji said that the allegation was politically motivated and well-crafted to tarnish his reputation ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State.
He, however, threatened to seek legal redress.
The Minister who was represented by his Special Adviser (Media), Dr. Robert Ngwu, presented a document claiming that he was admitted into the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) to study Microbiology/Biochemistry in 1981 and graduated in 1985 with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) contrary to media reports that he did not obtain any certificate in 1985.
Premium Times had reported that the Minister was never issued a certificate by the university, claiming that the Nnaji paraded false documents during his ministerial screening in 2023.
However, the document the Minister presented on Monday was from the office of the Registrar of UNN, Dr Celine Ngozi Nnebedum, signed by IAS Onyeador on behalf of the Registrar on December 21, 2023, which was in response to an inquiry dated October 24, 2023, by Samuel Ogundipe of the People’s Gazette, seeking for the academic records of the Minister.
The document reads: “This is to confirm that Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji with registration number 1981/30725 was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
“Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985 with Bachelor of Science in Microbiology/Biochemistry, Second Class (Hons) Lower Division.”
Nnaji maintained that the said document was the official position of the university, claiming that the document was still very much valid.
He noted that the document the Premium Times relied on to publish what he called “malicious and false narrative” was issued in May 2025 allegedly written by the same University, claiming that there were no records of the minister’s graduation.
He said, “starting from May 2025, a purported letter surfaced allegedly written by the university suddenly claiming that there were no records of the Minister’s graduation.
“The question every Nigerian should ask is simple and logical, what changed between December 2023 and October 2025?”
He accused the then Acting Vice Chancellor and later the Vice Chancellor of the University of orchestrating the purported new document, claiming they were card-carrying members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) hired to do a hatchet job.
He maintained that it was on that political foundation that Premium Times built its false reports.
“By Academic convention worldwide, the Registrar and not the Vice Chancellor is the custodian of all examination and graduation records.
“Any attempt by the Vice chancellor to assume that role is an aberration in the university protocol and in his case an obvious political overreach,” he said.
The Minister said that when he got wind of an attempt to tamper or alter his academic files, he immediately sought legal redress by approaching the Federal High Court In Abuja in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025 presided by justice HJ Yilwa.
He said that on September 22, 2025, the court granted a series of protective orders, including; an injunction restraining the Vice Chancellor and management of UNN from tampering or continuing to tamper with his academic records.
“The second order, according to the Minister, was an order of Mandamus compelling the University to release his academic transcripts, while a third order was a directive to the supervisory authorities to ensure compliance through their disciplinary power.
“These are not speculative claims, they are certified orders of the Federal High Court of Nigeria and that alone should settle the matter. Unfortunately instead of adhering strictly to the valid court order, the Vice Chancellor of the UNN, a lawyer by profession, resorted to cyber bullying and politically-motivated media trial against Chief Nnaji.
“It is increasingly clear that this entire episode is not about education or integrity, it is about political desperation disguised as academic inquiry.
“The timing, the sources, the false documents and the paid narratives all point to a coordinated campaign to drag a reputable public servant into the mud of partisan politics. But Nigerians are wiser than that.
“The facts are before the court, the document is in public domain and the truth cannot be buried under political propaganda.”
The Minister added that he cannot be distracted by those who want to weaponise academic institutions and media platforms for political gains.
He said that this was also reflected in the institution’s convocation brochure which remains part of the UNN archives, stressing that any other claim or document to the contrary was false, malicious and politically-motivated.
It was noticed that there were inconsistencies in the names presented in the document and the University convocation brochure.
In the document presented to journalists, the Minister’s name was given as Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, while the brochure had Nnaji GG Uchenna, which the Minister’s media aide dismissed as inconsequential.
When pressed further on the need to make his certificate public to clear any doubt on the controversy, he claimed that he had made it public by submitting it to the Department of State Services (DSS) during the ministerial screening in 2023
