The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has sanctioned the Deputy Registrar and Unit Head of Students’ Records and Institutional Research, I.A.S. Onyeador, for issuing a misleading document that falsely stated former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, graduated from the institution.
This action resulted from a report by an investigative panel commissioned by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, following Nnaji’s certificate forgery scandal exposed by one of Nigeria’s newspapers, Premium Times, last year’s October.
In response to Nnaji’s petition dated October 14, 2025, the seven-member panel, chaired by Rakiya Gambo Ilyasu from the Ministry of Education’s University Education Department, was established in November 2025.
Nnaji accused UNN’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, and former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Oguejiofor Ujam, of unethical disclosures and tampering with his academic records, particularly after Ortuanya’s response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) requested by the above newsroom, from which Nnaji was confirmed never to have graduated from UNN or receive a degree certificate therein.
During its probe, the panel visited UNN, interviewed key officials including Ortuanya, Ujam, and Registrar Celine Nnebedum, while reviewing academic files, Senate lists, convocation archives, and correspondence. It verified that Ortuanya’s FOI response followed proper internal procedures, legal advice under the FOI Act 2011, and lacked any political influence or unauthorized leaks.
The controversy dated back to 21 December 2023, when Registrar Nnebedum delegated Onyeador to respond to Peoples Gazette’s inquiry. Onyeador issued an affirmative verification claiming Nnaji graduated in July 1985, based on a flawed Senate result list without cross-checking the full records or Nnaji’s discredited degree certificate.
Later in May 23, 2025, Nnebedum submitted a letter to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), admitting the error after a thorough search found no record of Nnaji in the 1985 graduating list. Onyeador admitted compiling and signing the document under Nnebedum’s authority, alongside reviews by the Legal Services Director.
However he acknowledged procedural lapses like missing Senate lists and unverified certificates. The panel noted the defect as a procedural breach, relying on incomplete handwritten grades and sampled documents.
Therefore, UNN queried and redeployed Onyeador to another unit, with management expressing regret and committing to improved processes. It remains unclear if Nnebedum faced similar sanctions.
This incident unfolded amid Nnaji’s broader scandal, after the platform’s investigations revealed he forged both his UNN degree submitted during his 2023 ministerial screening and NYSC discharge certificate.
UNN officials corroborated the forgery, leading to Nnaji’s resignation days after the exposé. Despite public calls for prosecution under the Criminal Code Act, and recent probes by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), no charges have been filed as of early 2026.