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By Kehinde Aderemi
A coalition of concerned lawyers and public interest analysts have called on the Federal Government to ensure the alleged certificate forgery case involving former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, is pursued to its logical conclusion.
Addressing a press conference in Lagos, the group’s spokesperson, Liborous Oshoma, commended the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for prosecuting the ex-minister but expressed deep concern over ongoing delays.
The lawyers recalled a 2025 Premium Times investigation alleging that Nnaji did not graduate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) after failing a compulsory Virology course during the 1981/82 session.
Official correspondence from 1986 showed Nnaji seeking permission to retake the course due to ill health, which directly contradicts a July 1985 degree certificate he later submitted for his ministerial screening.
Nnaji admitted in a court filing that the university had not issued him a degree certificate.
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A seven-member Federal Government investigative panel later examined UNN records and confirmed he did not graduate.
The group also questioned his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, which bore the signature of a Director-General, who took office months after the document’s listed date.
The ICPC arrested Nnaji on July 1 at the Abuja airport, following a bench warrant after he ignored several investigative invitations.
He faces charges bordering on forgery and presenting false credentials during his 2023 screening.
“This exposes the disparity in justice, where ordinary Nigerians are prosecuted swiftly while influential holders enjoy delays,” Oshoma said.
The group urged President Bola Tinubu to prevent powerful interests from suppressing the matter. They demanded the recovery of all salaries paid to Nnaji from 2023 until his October 2025 resignation if found guilty, alongside a review of all official actions he took during his tenure.
