The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has finally begun a manhunt for former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over an ongoing certificate forgery scandal.
The anti-graft agency has been investigating Nnaji for some time. Insiders had previously told PREMIUM TIMES that the former minister could face prosecution if the probe confirmed that he indeed forged his academic credentials.
The ICPC’s investigation followed a painstaking two-year inquiry published in October last year, which revealed that Nnaji submitted forged UNN degree and NYSC certificates to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation hearing in 2023.
An insider told the publication that the commission has now intensified its probe into the forgery allegations against the former minister. Sources familiar with the matter told this newspaper that the ICPC’s search for Nnaji came after he repeatedly failed to honour invitations sent by the agency regarding the scandal.
One insider, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said UNN management has already responded to the ICPC’s enquiries as part of the ongoing investigation. He said Nnaji had been invited multiple times for questioning.
The source said the ICPC extended invitations to Nnaji through WhatsApp, email, and phone calls for scheduled interrogations, but the former minister has consistently failed to appear. “The ICPC is looking for him everywhere to possibly arrest him, and if we can’t find him, we will most likely declare him wanted,” the source told the newspaper.
Another source informed this publication that Nnaji’s refusal to respond to ICPC invitations may be based on a strategy of hiding in the hope of enjoying immunity from criminal prosecution if he wins the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State.
This newspaper earlier reported that the former minister quietly defected to the Peoples Democratic Party from the ruling All Progressives Congress, under which he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Enugu State in 2023.
In late May, Nnaji emerged as the governorship candidate of the PDP faction backed by Nyesom Wike ahead of the 2027 general election. This publication earlier reported exclusively that Nnaji was desperate to become governor, in part, to gain immunity from prosecution if he wins the poll.
Robert Ngwu, the special adviser on media to Nnaji, did not respond to multiple calls seeking comment since Monday. Ngwu received and read an enquiry forwarded to him via WhatsApp on Monday but had yet to respond as of Tuesday morning.
In October 2023, this newspaper began investigating Nnaji’s academic records. The then-minister had submitted a degree and NYSC certificates to President Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial confirmation in 2023, claiming he obtained a degree certificate from UNN where he purportedly graduated in 1985.
Disturbed by the scrutiny, Nnaji filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to block UNN and its vice-chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, from releasing his academic records. The minister of education, the National Universities Commission, the university’s registrar, its former acting vice-chancellor Professor Oguejiofor Ujam, and the university’s senate were also listed as defendants. However, the politician recently applied for an out-of-court settlement through his legal team.
Before Nnaji could obtain an injunction from the court, Ortuanya had responded to a Freedom of Information letter, confirming that Nnaji had forged his UNN degree certificate. The UNN registrar later corroborated this position, stating that although Nnaji was admitted to the university in 1981, he never graduated nor received any certificate.
In response to a separate FOI letter, NYSC authorities disowned the discharge certificate the former minister possessed. Nnaji resigned as minister three days after this newspaper published its investigation exposing his forged credentials. Many Nigerians had called for his prosecution, arguing that his resignation was insufficient given his violations of various Nigerian laws, including the Criminal Code Act.
Earlier this year, legal practitioner Liborous Oshoma criticised the Nigerian government for failing to prosecute Nnaji over the certificate forgery scandal, stating that people like the former minister “should be prosecuted and banned from holding public office to serve as a deterrent to others.”
In March, this publication also exclusively reported that an investigative panel set up by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, found that Nnaji indeed forged his degree and NYSC certificates.