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The minister of science, technology and innovation, Uche Nnaji, is facing increasing pressure to step down from his government role due to claims of falsifying academic credentials.

Two leading Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria, have urged Minister Uche Nnaji, implicated in the certificate scandal, to step down and offer an apology to the country.

The head of the CSOs, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stated in an interview with LEADERSHIP that politicians are not required to obtain degrees through any means, as they can assume any role with just a school certificate, as outlined in the constitution.

Rafsanjani noted that the minister has not stepped down due to his proximity to the president.

Nevertheless, he maintained that leaders should set an example.

Well, I believe the problem arises when you lie on your certificate, whether it’s related to a degree or not, or an asset declaration or not. I think the only consequence is that if you lie and it comes to light, you should simply resign because you can’t be advocating for falsehoods and fraud. What kind of leadership are you offering? What are you overseeing if you’re discovered to be part of a deceptive or dishonest scenario?

Now, the responsibility lies with the individual, now that the issue has become public, to step down and apologize to the country promptly. Secondly, the president cannot remain seated while observing those who clearly spread falsehoods, deceit, manipulation, and fraud under the guise of party loyalty or unity.

There are a number of ministers, or more accurately, several public servants, who are dealing with significant issues regarding their ethical standards due to their history and actions. Certain individuals have been accused of corrupt practices. Others have faced charges related to similar certificate-related scandals. Some have been implicated in various allegations.

“If you aim to offer effective leadership and wish for citizens to accept, obey, and hold you in high regard, you must not allow individuals with compromised reputations or ethical issues to be part of your team,” he stated.

“Recently, we faced another problem. A singer affiliated with the president stated they had earned a degree from a so-called European university, but they later withdrew that statement,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has Nnaji serving as minister, has not made any statements regarding the issue. As of this report, the party’s national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, had not responded to inquiries directed at him concerning the matter.

Professor Ademola Adaranijo urged the federal government to immediately put the minister on hold while a comprehensive and open inquiry into the forgery claims is conducted.

Professor Adaranijo mentioned that this action is essential for preserving public confidence and showing a strict no-negotiation approach to corruption within the government.

He further urged the federal government to carry out a thorough review of the academic and professional qualifications of all existing and new public officials to avoid similar situations.

From his side, Lagos-based attorney Wahab Abdullahi emphasized that if the scandal is confirmed to be true, it goes beyond a simple administrative mistake, constituting a clear case of fake document creation — a criminal act outlined in Sections 366 and 368 of the Criminal Code Act, which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Abdullahi highlighted that the alleged offense violates the Fifth Schedule, Part I, of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires public officials to disclose their assets and credentials, as well as the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act of 2000, which forbids making false declarations for personal gain.

In the same way, Idowu Phillips, the director of the Public and Private Anti-Corruption Coalition (PPAC), mentioned that the claims detailed in the report are serious and illegal, and must not be ignored.

Phillips stated that forging certificates is a criminal act that weakens the rule of law and diminishes public trust in the government, noting that permitting a minister accused of holding fake documents to stay in office damages institutional integrity and violates public confidence.

He emphasized that the battle against corruption needs to be determined, steady, and firm in order to maintain democratic principles and public trust in Nigeria’s institutions.

Court Rejects Minister Nnaji’s Bid to Halt Disclosure of Academic Records

New information has come to light that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, sought an interim injunction from a Federal High Court in Abuja to prevent the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, from disclosing his academic records—an application that was rejected by the court.

The minister brought the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission, the University of Nigeria, its Vice-Chancellor, its Registrar, and the institution’s Senate to court, requesting a temporary injunction to stop them from disclosing his records.

Justice Hausa Yilwa, nevertheless, turned down the proposal.

The minister requested the court to issue an order allowing him to file a prerogative writ of prohibition against the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh respondents (the VC, Registrar, and Senate of the university) to prevent them from interfering with or continuing to interfere with his academic records at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

He also requested an order allowing him to file the prerogative writ of mandamus, forcing the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th Respondents to provide his academic transcript.

A directive allowing the Applicant to file the prerogative writ of mandamus, requiring the 1st and 2nd Respondents to enforce, through their oversight and disciplinary authority, the release of the Applicant’s academic transcript by the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th Respondents from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

“An interim injunction order preventing the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th Defendants from interfering or continuing to interfere with the Applicant’s academic records at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, until the main case is resolved,” he requested.

However, following the presentation of arguments by the legal representatives, the court stated, “I have therefore reviewed the 34-paragraph Affidavit and the 6-paragraph Urgency Affidavit submitted by the Applicant, the reasons for this application, the Exhibits attached to it, and the Further Affidavit consisting of 6 paragraphs submitted by Martin Luther Akawe.”

In my opinion, based on the facts stated in the affidavits and the exhibits attached, the applicant has a valid interest in the issue involved in this application. Therefore, this application is advantageous. As a result, I hereby approve requests 1, 2, and 3 only.

Prayer 4 has been rejected. Since it was denied, providing remedies 1-3 will not act as injunctive remedies against any of the involved parties.

The institution rejected Nnaji’s diploma in a letter dated October 2, 2025, issued by the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, to Premium Times.

The institution stated that he did not finish his academic program.

We mention your letter dated September 29, 2025, concerning the matter at hand.

We are able to confirm that Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, who has the Matriculation Number 1981/30725, was enrolled by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1981.

Based on all the available records and information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to verify that Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the present Minister of Science and Technology, graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no documents indicating his completion of studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

“Based on the above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka did not and therefore could not have issued the alleged certificate in July 1985 to Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology. This finding also aligns with an earlier letter dated 13 May 2025, reference number RUN/SR/R/V, sent by the University to the Public Complaints Commission concerning the same issue (a copy is attached),” Ortuanya stated.

Instructively, in his submission to the court in the case, and in contrast to Nnaji’s assertion in a 10-page document—which included a UNN degree certificate—submitted to the Senate in August 2023 for ministerial evaluation, he has reversed his position, acknowledging that he was never issued his degree certificate.

He admitted, “Although I have not yet obtained my certificate from the 3rd Defendant (UNN), primarily because of the uncooperative behavior of the 3rd-5th Defendants (UNN, its Vice-Chancellor, and Registrar), the 3rd Defendant sent a letter dated 21 December 2023 to People’s Gazette (attention: Samuel Ogundipe) that included, among other things, the following:

This verifies that Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, registered with number 1981/30725, was enrolled in 1981 to pursue Microbiology/Biochemistry at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Mr. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji completed his studies at the University of Nigeria in July 1985, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry, with a Second Class (Hons.) Lower Division.

Nnaji claims that Governor Mbah is engaged in a defamation campaign

Nevertheless, the Minister has addressed the claim, calling it “politically driven.”

The minister, who conveyed his statements via his special adviser, Dr. Robert Ngwu, alleged that the governor of Enugu state, Peter Mba, is the mastermind behind attempts to damage Mr. Nnaji’s reputation, as the minister represents a potential threat to him in the 2027 election within the state.

He also blamed the governor for colluding with the Více Chancellor of the University, whom he appointed, in order to alter the minister’s credentials.

He mentioned that Mr. Uche had initiated a legal action at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking his academic records from the university.

He desires the court to resolve the issue quickly.

The Ministry’s representative, Mrs. Pauline Sule, also commented, calling the claim “false information.”

“We’re handling it. We’ll contact the media shortly,” Sule mentioned.

It has been reported that the matter currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja will be reviewed again today, October 6, 2025.

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Tagged: Nigeria, Legal and Judicial Affairs, West Africa

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