Geoffrey Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation resigns amid controversy  

MaTaZ ArIsInG
Dallas, Texas

Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, has resigned amid growing controversy surrounding allegations leveled against him.

Nnaji, who was appointed in August 2023, tendered his resignation in a letter addressed to the President on Tuesday, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve the nation.

In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, President Tinubu acknowledged Nnaji’s contribution to the administration’s innovation drive, particularly in the areas of digital research, indigenous technology development, and scientific collaboration.

Backstory 

The Minister has been enmeshed in an alleged certificate forgery scandal, following reports that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has disowned the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree certificate he submitted to the Senate during his ministerial screening in August 2023.

In his 10-page curriculum vitae presented to the Senate—along with copies of his degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates—Nnaji claimed to have graduated from UNN with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Microbiology and completed his mandatory one-year NYSC service in Jos, Plateau State.

However, the university has denied issuing the said degree certificate, insisting that Nnaji did not complete his studies at the institution. According to the school, the minister dropped out before graduation, and as such, could not have been issued the certificate he has been parading.

UNN’s position was revealed in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Premium Times, which had been investigating allegations of certificate and NYSC document forgery linked to the Enugu State-born minister for several years.

The letter dated October 2, 2025 and signed by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, read: “We refer to your letter dated 29 September 2025 in respect of the above subject matter. We can confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, with Matriculation Number 1981/30725, was admitted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1981. 

“From every available records and information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology, graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985, as there are no records of his completion of study in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 

“Flowing from above, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka did not and consequently, could not have issued the purported certificate, or at all, in July 1985 to Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology. This conclusion is also in consonance with an earlier letter dated May 13, 2025, ref. No, RUN/SR/R/V, issued by the University to the Public Complaints Commission in respect of the same subject matter (copy attached).” 

However, UNN’s December 21, 2023, response is a stark contradiction of its earlier response to a People’s Gazette enquiry on the matter, in which the University’s Registrar, Celine Nnebedum, wrote that Nnaji graduated from the institution in July 1985 – a position the university has voided in its FOI reply to the (PCC).

“We wish to inform the Public Complaints Commission that we have searched through the University of Nigeria graduation record for the 1985 session, and we could not find Mr Nnaji Geoffrey Uchechukwu’s name. 

“There is no indication that the certificate was issued by the University of Nigeria,” the reply to the Commission by the school read in part.

What you should know 

On August 16, 2023, Nnaji was appointed as the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by President Tinubu.

In January, Nairametrics reported that Nnaji encouraged 21 recipients of patent certificates to translate their inventions into marketable goods and services to drive Nigeria’s economic growth.

Earlier this year, Nnaji announced the FG’s controversial plan to ban the importation of solar panels into Nigeria, a move several experts have opposed.

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