In a shocking twist that confirms years of speculation, Nigeria’s Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has officially admitted that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), never issued him a degree certificate.
The revelation, made in court documents filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja, lends credibility to longstanding allegations of certificate forgery that have trailed the minister since his appointment.
According to the filings, Mr. Nnaji, in his statement of claim, acknowledged that despite his claims of being a UNN graduate, the university never conferred any degree upon him. The admission came as part of a suit he initiated against the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), UNN, and some of its principal officers.
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He is reportedly seeking legal redress over what he described as “institutional victimization and administrative irregularities” that led to the university’s refusal to issue him a certificate.
The revelation corroborates the findings of a detailed two-year investigative report by a consortium of journalists, which had concluded that the academic documents Mr. Naji presented during his ministerial screening were forged. At the time, the Minister dismissed the reports as “politically motivated,” insisting that he had completed his studies at UNN.
However, the latest court filing has shifted public attention to the authenticity of his academic qualifications and raised serious ethical questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s vetting process for public office holders.
Legal experts and civil society groups have described the confession as a “watershed moment” in Nigeria’s fight against academic fraud among public officials. “This admission has far-reaching implications,” said human rights lawyer, Barrister Chidi Okonkwo. “If a serving minister acknowledges under oath that his degree is not genuine, the only honourable step left is immediate resignation and prosecution for perjury and forgery.”
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Neither the Ministry of Science and Technology nor the Presidency has issued an official statement on the development. Calls and messages to Mr. Nnaji’s spokesperson went unanswered as of press time.
Meanwhile, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has maintained that its academic records are intact and verifiable, emphasizing that any certificate not issued through its official channels is invalid.
The unfolding scandal has sparked widespread public outrage, with many Nigerians demanding accountability and urging President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take decisive action against the embattled minister.
