As more top officials in the current administration with questionable deeds being shown the way out, pressures are mounting on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding the dark spots in the academic records of his Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
This is even as fresh facts continue to emerge, raising questions on why the president should continue to keep Tunji-Ojo in his cabinet.
The latest is the verdict by a Private Investigator that the Bachelor of Engineering degree, from London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom, being paraded by the Minister is not authentic. The release of this independent investigation casts doubts on whether he completed the university degrees he claims.
The Private Investigator said although Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was admitted into a Bachelor of Engineering programme, records indicated that he failed the first academic year and, “No evidence has been produced by the awarding institution to suggest that the subject repeated the year or progressed into the second year of study. There is no confirmed graduation record, nor any recognised date of award for a Bachelor of Engineering degree.”
On the Master’s degree also claimed by the Minister, the Private Investigator said, “Without an accredited Bachelor’s degree, admission into a Master’s degree programme is structurally improbable under UK academic progression rules. The Master’s degree screenshot provided appears visually inconsistent with standard institutional formatting and remains unverified.”
The Private Investigator stressed that, “The absence of any official transcript further contradicts the narrative of a completed undergraduate or postgraduate programme.”
Summarising his report, the Private Investigator said, “No legitimate graduation date is recorded within the institution itself nor can we see any proxy data that confirms this date. No evidence exists for the Bachelor of Engineering pathway, and no award was made. As such, any certificate purporting to represent a B. Engineering degree is not authentic.”
The investigation, carried out to verify the minister’s Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a subsequent Master’s degree in Digital Communications and Networking, suggests that there is no verifiable evidence that he successfully completed his undergraduate programme — a requirement for admission into a Master’s degree.
According to the report, investigators reviewed admission records, academic progression, graduation data, and the authenticity of certificates and documents presented by the subject to become minister under the Tinubu administration. These included a Bachelor’s degree certificate, a diploma supplement, and screenshots said to relate to a Master’s award.
The findings indicate that Tunji-Ojo failed his first year at the undergraduate level and did not complete the Bachelor’s programme. The report states that no official institutional records could be found to confirm progression beyond the first year, graduation, or the formal award of the Bachelor’s degree.
“This places significant doubt over the authenticity of any claimed progression, graduation, or subsequent admission onto a postgraduate Master’s programme,” the investigator noted.
The report further explains that screenshots provided as evidence of a Master’s degree were not backed by institution-validated records. Cross-checks against academic archives, student registers, graduation lists, and award sequences reportedly revealed inconsistencies in identification numbers, timelines, and award details.
Beyond document reviews, the investigators said they carried out additional checks using independent academic verification frameworks and secure information channels. While some of this information were obtained anonymously, the report states that such sources have proven reliable in previous investigations.
Publicly available information was also examined, including Nigerian media reports and Freedom of Information (FoI) requests submitted to London Metropolitan University concerning the same credentials. However, the investigator stressed that media reports were treated as background context rather than conclusive proof.
At the time the report was finalised, the awarding institution had been formally contacted to verify the claims but had not yet issued an official response. The investigator said a definitive confirmation from the university would ultimately determine whether the Bachelor’s degree was completed or not.
The report comes amid growing public debate over the legitimacy of the minister’s academic qualifications, particularly the claimed engineering degree, with renewed calls for transparency and institutional clarification.
The investigator emphasised that the findings are based on available records and verification attempts, and that final clarity rests with the official response of the awarding university.
According to investigators Tunji-Ojo’s self-acclamation of being an engineer should not be a problem if it were to be within his private family business, but that since he went to the extent of presenting it to a public institution like of National Assembly, it becomes a crime if it is found out to be fake.
The continued drag of feet on this demand is already causing further loss of public trust in the administration by Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.
