ABUJA, NIGERIA — In a major development for public accountability, a seven-member investigative panel set up by the Federal Ministry of Education has officially "nailed" the immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji. The panel's findings, released on Friday, March 6, 2026, confirm that Nnaji indeed forged the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate he presented for his 2023 ministerial screening.
Background of the Investigation The panel was constituted on November 23, 2025, by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, following a wave of public outcry and a painstaking investigative report that first broke in October 2025. Nnaji had resigned his cabinet position just three days after the initial exposé, though he continued to maintain his innocence and even filed a lawsuit against UNN and the Ministry of Education to block the release of his academic records.
Led by Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, the Director of the University Education Department, the probe team conducted a thorough review of UNN’s internal archives. Their investigation included physical visits to the Nsukka campus, interviews with the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, and a review of the university’s registry movement logs, Senate lists, and convocation brochures from the 1980s.
The "Nailing" Evidence The panel’s final report reveals that while Uche Nnaji was indeed admitted to study Microbiology/Biochemistry in 1981, he failed to graduate. Specifically, the report notes that Nnaji failed a critical terminal course—Virology (MCB 431AB)—repeatedly and never reported for the rescheduled examination despite paying the required fees.
The panel found no record of the university ever issuing a certificate to Nnaji in July 1985, as he had claimed. Furthermore, the investigation corroborated findings regarding his NYSC discharge certificate, noting that the document contained an invalid serial number and a signature from an official who had not yet assumed office at the time the certificate was purportedly issued.
Legal and Political Implications The panel’s conclusion aligns with earlier disclosures by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which has already begun a criminal probe into the matter. Legal experts, including human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, have called for Nnaji’s immediate prosecution, arguing that resignation is an insufficient penalty for the criminal act of forgery.
The Presidency has yet to issue a formal statement on the panel's findings, but sources within the administration suggest that the report will be forwarded to the Attorney-General of the Federation for further action. This landmark case is seen as a significant test of the government's commitment to "restoring the dignity" of Nigeria's educational and governance institutions.
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