The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has disowned the degree certificate presented by Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, saying he never graduated from the institution, according to an investigation by Premium Times.
The newspaper reported that a two-year probe found both the Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and microbiology and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate presented by the minister to be counterfeit.
Mr Nnaji, one of the first 28 ministers nominated by President Bola Tinubu in July 2023, has long faced allegations of certificate forgery. Critics argued that he neither completed his studies at UNN nor participated in the NYSC scheme.
In a letter dated October 2, 2025, UNN Vice Chancellor, Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, confirmed the suspicions. “From every available record, we are unable to confirm that Mr Nnaji graduated in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study. The University DID NOT and consequently COULD NOT have issued the purported certificate,” the statement read.
The letter, issued in response to a Freedom of Information request, reinforced earlier comments by the registrar to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025 that Nnaji’s name was absent from the 1985 graduation roll.
At his Senate confirmation in August 2023, Nnaji claimed he graduated from UNN in 1985 and served in Jos the following year. His résumé was repeated at his inauguration. But scrutiny of the documents he submitted revealed glaring anomalies.
The NYSC certificate, dated May 15, 1986, bore the signature of Colonel Animashaun Braimoh, who only became director in 1988. At the time, the corps was led by Colonel Edet Akpan. The document also carried the title “National Director,” a designation that did not exist until the 1990s. Its alphanumeric serial number, A231309, was inconsistent with the six-digit numbering system used in the 1980s.
Most strikingly, the document claimed Nnaji served 13 months, from April 1985 to May 1986, even though the programme has always lasted 12 months.
The degree certificate was also riddled with contradictions. It listed July 1985 as his graduation date, yet the NYSC document claimed he began service in April, three months earlier. His first name was also misspelt as “Geoffery.”
Further checks by Premium Times at NYSC headquarters confirmed that no such certificate was ever issued to Nnaji. Officials said their records contained no trace of his service.
At UNN, staff recalled he was admitted in the 1981/82 academic year but failed key courses, including virology, and was eventually advised to withdraw. Reporters even obtained a May 1986 letter he wrote to the institution pleading for another chance to retake an outstanding course — a request that was rejected.
An official convocation booklet for the 1985 graduation ceremony, obtained by the newspaper, confirmed Nnaji was not among the graduates.
