‘This is to confirm that Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with registration number 1981/30725, was admitted in 1981 to study Microbiology/Biochemistry at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology/Biochemistry, Second Class (Hons.) Lower Division.’”

The letter, signed by UNN Registrar Celine Nnebedum, was sent to the People’s Gazette in response to an enquiry. But its contents have since been invalidated.

Mrs Nnebedum later recanted in a letter to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in May 2025, stating that the university searched its 1985 graduation records but could not find Mr Nnaji’s name.

Similarly, UNN Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya confirmed in a letter dated 3 October 2025 and addressed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Nnaji did not complete his studies and was never awarded a degree by the university.

A senior university official told PREMIUM TIMES that the institution investigated Mrs Nnebedum’s letter and concluded that: “It is either some people in the records office were influenced or manipulated to cover up for Nnaji, or it was a sincere mistake by the registry.”

The official added: “The truth of the matter is that he (Mr Nnaji) never graduated from here. His file is intact. It contains details up to the point where he dropped out.”

Nnaji and a Forgery Confession
By admitting that UNN never issued him a degree certificate, Mr Nnaji has effectively confessed to forging his degree and NYSC credentials he presented in 2023 for his ministerial appointment.

This raises crucial questions: If UNN did not issue him a certificate, where and how did he obtain the degree document he submitted to Nigerian authorities? And if he never earned a degree, how did he qualify for the NYSC programme?

Ahead of his ministerial screening on 1 August 2023, Mr Nnaji submitted at least 109 copies of a 10-page profile document to the Senate Clerk’s office for distribution to all senators.

The first page featured his smiling photograph, describing him as “a visionary industrialist, oil and gas expert, construction giant, healthcare practitioner, pro-democracy activist, trade and investment strategist, and environmental protection expert.”

The next three pages detailed his personal data, including contact information, birth, origin, marital status, religion, education, work and business experience, and political achievements.

On page three, he claimed to have earned a combined degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology from UNN, though he failed to provide a graduation year.

For his NYSC service, he claimed he worked as a laboratory supervisor at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital in 1985 and later as an assistant quality control manager at Jos International Breweries Limited in 1986.

The remaining six pages — stapled to the main document — contained copies of his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate, statutory declaration of age, Code of Conduct Bureau asset declaration slip, tax clearance certificate for 2022, his supposed UNN Bachelor of Science degree, and his purported NYSC Certificate of National Service.

These last two documents have been the core of PREMIUM TIMES’ long-running investigation. After nearly two years of verification, the newspaper conclusively determined that the degree and NYSC certificates are forgeries.

Now that Mr Nnaji has admitted that UNN never issued him any degree, the inevitable question remains: how did he come into possession of the certificate he submitted to Nigerian authorities?

Minister Keeps Silent
Despite multiple efforts to obtain his comments, Mr Nnaji declined to speak directly to PREMIUM TIMES on the matter.

He ignored a detailed written enquiry sent by this newspaper on 8 January 2024, which his office formally acknowledged and stamped as “received” on 18 January 2024 at 1 p.m.

He also refused to answer or return repeated follow-up calls, messages, and emails seeking his response to our findings.