The University Of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) has begun disciplinary proceedings against its registrar, Nnebedum Celine Ngozi for allegedly making false claims to Peoples Gazette in defense of disgraced former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over his forged academic certificate.
Mr. Nnaji resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet on Wednesday night following mounting pressure after The Gazette’s 2023 and 2024 investigative reports exposed that he forged his university and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates. His resignation came amid a pending court case filed by his political opponents, relying heavily on the reports.
According to documents obtained by Peoples Gazette, the newspaper had, in October 2023, contacted Mrs. Nnebedum for confirmation of Mr. Nnaji’s claimed degree from UNN. In response, the registrar’s office, under her authority, issued an official letter dated December 21, 2023, confirming that “Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji” was admitted in 1981 and graduated in July 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology/Biochemistry, Second Class (Hons.) Lower Division.
However, a contradictory letter later surfaced from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, stating that Mr. Nnaji did not graduate from the university.
Sources within UNN told The Gazette that Mrs. Nnebedum had privately met with Mr. Nnaji in Abuja in 2023 before replying to the newspaper’s inquiry a move university officials described as “highly irregular and unethical.”
When contacted on Thursday, Mrs. Nnebedum claimed that the letter confirming Nnaji’s graduation “was written on her behalf,” though she had previously told The Gazette she personally reviewed records confirming that he completed all academic requirements.
At the time, The Gazette presented evidence showing inconsistencies in Mr. Nnaji’s documents including a forged certificate submitted to the Nigerian Senate, misspellings of his name, mismatched graduation and NYSC mobilisation dates, and his omission from the official graduation list. Despite these discrepancies, Mrs. Nnebedum maintained her stance that Nnaji’s credentials were authentic.
University sources confirmed that the UNN management has initiated internal disciplinary procedures against Mrs. Nnebedum for “misrepresentation and breach of institutional ethics,” describing her actions as a serious administrative offence that brought “embarrassment to the university.”