UNN, NYSC disown ex-minister Uche Nnaji’s certificates – ICPC witness Yakubu Ibrahim tells court
Former Minister Accused of Certificate Forgery; Investigators Report Findings in Court
ABUJA — An investigator with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Yakubu Ibrahim, testified Monday in the Federal High Court regarding allegations against Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology. The court learned that both the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have disowned two certificates allegedly presented by Nnaji.
Ibrahim, the first prosecution witness, informed Justice Joyce Abdulmalik that the ICPC began its investigation after receiving separate petitions claiming Nnaji had forged his academic credentials. The ICPC subsequently contacted the National Assembly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, UNN, and the NYSC to verify a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry, along with an NYSC discharge certificate dated May 15, 1986, which Nnaji allegedly presented during his 2023 ministerial screening.
According to Ibrahim, the Clerk of the Senate forwarded the certificates to the ICPC for examination. The agency learned that the NYSC denied issuing the discharge certificate attributed to Nnaji, and UNN similarly refused to validate the bachelor’s degree.
During his testimony, Ibrahim mentioned that UNN provided academic records showing a withdrawal notice dated November 7, 1984, due to Nnaji’s failure in General Microbiology. The university explained that a student who fails a course four times is ineligible to earn a degree. Nnaji reportedly failed twice and did not complete a third attempt for medical reasons, but later attempted a supplementary examination for which he had not registered.
Under cross-examination by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, counsel for the former minister, Ibrahim acknowledged that he did not visit UNN during the investigation and was unable to identify where the certificates were allegedly forged. However, he confirmed that the investigation team had interviewed the university registrar. “The NYSC said the certificate was not issued by it, which is why we didn’t inquire where he served,” Ibrahim stated.
Nnaji resigned from his ministerial position amid the certificate forgery controversy. He is currently seeking the candidacy of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State, having reportedly excluded the disputed degree certificate in his filings with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the election.
