In a fresh exposé surrounding the academic certificate of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, the Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has stepped forward with new claims implicating the minister in a certificate forgery scandal.
According to Governor Mbah, Nnaji submitted a degree certificate purportedly from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) during his ministerial confirmation process. He, however, contended that UNN never issued such a certificate, describing the document as fraudulent.
Minister Nnaji, on his part, has maintained that he is a genuine UNN alumnus, insisting that he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry in July 1985, and that the December 2023 university letter confirming this remains valid. His spokesperson accused Governor Mbah of orchestrating a politically motivated smear campaign to tarnish the minister’s reputation.
But Mbah has raised a series of questions that have further deepened the controversy surrounding Nnaji’s academic claims. He asked: Did the minister present a purported degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, during his screening? And if so, did UNN ever actually issue such a certificate?
The governor said available evidence from university records suggested otherwise, insisting that UNN never awarded the degree Mr. Nnaji claims to possess. According to him, findings from credible university sources indicate that the certificate tendered by the minister was never issued by UNN, implying that the document may have been forged.
The controversy intensified after court documents revealed that Mr. Nnaji, in an affidavit filed at the Federal High Court, admitted he had not collected any certificate from UNN. The minister had approached the court seeking an order to compel the university to release his transcripts and restrain officials from tampering with his records.
Governor Mbah argued that this admission further confirmed that the certificate presented during ministerial vetting could not have originated from UNN. He added that internal communications within the university suggested that Mr. Nnaji never completed his studies or graduated from the institution.
He also referenced a December 2023 letter from UNN, which claimed that Mr. Nnaji graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry in July 1985. However, Mbah alleged that the letter was later disowned by the university, and that subsequent findings showed no record of Mr. Nnaji in the university’s graduation archives.
Meanwhile, Minister Nnaji has continued to insist that he legitimately earned his degree and that the December 2023 UNN letter confirming his graduation remains valid. His spokesperson reiterated that the allegations are politically motivated and aimed at discrediting him.
The fresh revelations from Governor Mbah have reignited public debate over academic integrity among public officials, with growing calls for an independent investigation into the matter.
