A seven-person panel formed by Nigeria’s Minister of Education has confirmed that Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, forged his degree certificate from the University of Nigeria Nsukka.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, set up the panel on November 23, 2025, after Nnaji filed a petition in response to reports questioning his academic credentials.

Premium Times reported that the committee gave its findings to the minister in December 2025.

In his petition from October 14, 2025, Nnaji accused senior UNN officials of acting unethically and tampering with his academic records.

He claimed that the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, and former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Oguejiofor Ujam, sent forged or unauthorized letters and looked into his academic file without permission.

The former minister also said the officials helped spread media reports that gave a false picture of his academic background.

Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, who leads the University Education Department at the Federal Ministry of Education, chaired the investigative panel. James Ocheido, the department’s deputy director, acted as secretary.

Other members were officials from the ministry’s polytechnics and colleges of education departments, along with a representative from the National Universities Commission.

The report said the panel used document reviews, interviews, verification, and technical audits as its methods.

The committee visited the UNN campus in Nsukka and met with key university officials, such as the vice-chancellor, registrar, records staff, and others who handle academic records.

Investigators said they closely reviewed UNN’s official 1985 graduation list and checked Nnaji’s academic file.

The panel found that his name was missing from the 1985 graduation list, which goes against claims that he graduated that year.

The report also revealed several correspondences between Nnaji and the university’s Registry Department between November 1985 and May 1986, relating to a failed course, MCB 431 – Virology.

According to the panel, the former minister wrote a handwritten letter dated May 19, 1986, applying for permission to retake the course after missing the examination due to ill health.

However, the panel said it found no record showing that Nnaji later retook or passed the course.

“The panel was unable to find any record of him having taken the failed course,” the report stated.

Investigators also asked how Nnaji got a certificate said to be issued in July 1985, which he gave to Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his ministerial appointment and to the Senate for his confirmation.

The panel’s findings matched earlier reports showing that while Nnaji was admitted to study Biological Sciences at UNN in the 1981/1982 session, he did not graduate.

A separate check by the National Youth Service Corps reportedly found that the discharge certificate Nnaji presented was not issued by them.

The scandal led Nnaji to resign three days after the investigation about the alleged forgery was made public.

After these revelations, many Nigerians called for him to be prosecuted for the alleged certificate forgery.

A lawyer, Liborous Oshoma, criticized the government for not prosecuting the former minister and said such cases should be pursued to prevent similar offences.

He argued that anyone involved in certificate forgery should be prosecuted and banned from holding public office.

Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has reportedly started an investigation into the case.

Sources close to the investigation said Nnaji could be prosecuted if investigators confirm that his submitted credentials were forged.