By Rufia Oseni

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
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.