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Former Federal Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, has issued clarification following media reports that a Federal Government investigative panel confirmed certificate forgery against him.
The clarification was contained in a report authored by Dr. Robert Ngwu, the Special Adviser to the former minister Nnaji, and made available to newsmen. He said the panel referenced in recent publications was not constituted to determine whether Nnaji forged a certificate. Instead, it was set up following a petition he submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education (Nigeria) requesting an investigation into alleged misconduct by officials of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
He noted that some media reports, including a story by Premium Times entitled “FG Panel Nails Uche Nnaji, Confirms Ex-Minister Forged UNN Certificate,” suggested that the panel had already reached such a conclusion.
Rather, he explained that the clarification report noted that the panel’s official findings had not yet been released by the ministry.
According to the report, Nnaji’s petition accused certain university officials, including the Vice-Chancellor of intimidating staff, unlawfully accessing confidential student records, tampering with academic records and disclosing personal academic data without authorisation. The petition argued that such actions could violate provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act as well as public service and university governance regulations.
The petition also raised concerns over a document allegedly used to justify actions taken by the university administration.
The statement recalled that the Public Complaints Commission (Nigeria) reportedly confirmed that a letter purportedly issued from its office was fraudulent, noting that no complaint had been filed against Nnaji and that the alleged author of the document did not exist within the commission.
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Nnaji said meanwhile, the dispute over his academic records was currently before the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
He noted that he was seeking an order compelling the university to release his academic transcript and records, which he reportedly requested as far back as May 2025.
It would be recalled that at the court sitting on February 26, presided over by Justice H. J. Yilwa, proceedings could not continue due to procedural issues after proof of service was missing from the court file and some filings by the respondents were not properly regularised.
Counsel representing the university leadership sought an adjournment to address the issues, which were not opposed by Nnaji’s legal team from the chambers of Wole Olanipekun and Sebastine Hon.
The clarification report stated that the core of the dispute is Nnaji’s request for the release of his academic transcript from UNN. Stakeholders cited in the report claimed the transcript indicates that the academic requirements for graduation were completed and that no failing grade would prevent graduation.
The report further cautioned that claims suggesting the federal panel had already confirmed certificate forgery might be premature since the official report had not been released and the matter remained before the court.
The clarification urged the public to await the official findings of the federal panel and the outcome of ongoing court proceedings before drawing conclusions.
