An investigative panel set up by Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has confirmed that immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Uche Nnaji, forged his University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate.

A PREMIUM TIMES report quoted the panel as saying that it adopted “documentary review, interviews, verification, and technical audit as its methodological approach” to the investigation of Nnaji, who resigned his appointment in the heat of the scandal but continued to maintain his innocence.

“It said during the investigation, members physically visited UNN, engaged with the institution’s officials—including its vice-chancellor and former acting vice-chancellor—and reviewed necessary documents and the university records,” the report said.

It added: “The UNN officials interviewed during the investigation were the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ortuanya; a former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ujam; the Registrar, Celine Nnebedum; Records Unit officials; and other staff members involved in handling academic records.

“The panel said that during the investigation, it also accessed and inspected Mr Nnaji’s academic files and internal correspondence – including the 2023 and 2025 letters issued by UNN.”

The panel, according to PREMIUM TIMES, examined UNN’s historic academic records, registry movement logs, Senate lists, convocation archives, electronic access logs, and other relevant documentation, including Nnaji’s transcript request, as well as verification of the provenance and authenticity of letters issued to media organisations and government agencies by the university.

“The members of the panel arrived (UNN) in Nsukka on Sunday, 23rd November 2025. On Monday, 24th November, the panel paid a courtesy visit to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Simon Ortuanya and informed him of the purpose of the visit and proceeded to the venue the university provided for the panel to use,” the report stated.

The seven-member panel was constituted on November 23, 2025 in response to Nnaji’s petition to the education minister following a painstaking two-year investigation published by PREMIUM TIMES in October last year, which revealed that the then-minister forged his degree and NYSC certificates.

The panel submitted its detailed report to the education minister in December 2025.

Nnaji’s petition and constitution of the panel

Per PREMIUM TIMES: “In the petition dated 14 October 2025, Mr Nnaji alleged unethical disclosure, document tampering, and political manipulation of his academic records by senior officials of UNN.

“The former minister also accused the UNN Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, and a former Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Oguejiofor Ujam, of “issuing forged or unauthorised correspondence, improperly accessing his academic file, and facilitating media publications that misrepresented his academic history.”

“The probe panel was led by the Director of the University Education Department in the ministry, Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu, while James Ocheido, the deputy director of the department, served as secretary.

“Other members of the panel were: the Director of Polytechnics and Allied Institutions Department in the ministry, Ejeh. A. U; his counterpart in the ministry’s Colleges of Education Department, U. C. Uba; and a representative of the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mohammed Ayuba.

“The Director of Human Resources Unit of the education ministry, Yusuf Saeed, and his counterpart in the ministry’s Legal Services Unit, Foluso Akinlonu, were also members of the panel.”

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