Former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, has appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja to answer charges of alleged certificate forgery linked to documents submitted during his ministerial screening in 2023.
Nnaji, who served in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet between August 2023 and October 2025, is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations that he forged his University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) degree certificate and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
The case followed a two-year investigation which alleged that the academic credentials presented by the former minister were not authentic. According to the findings, UNN confirmed that although Nnaji was admitted in 1981, the institution had no record of his graduation, while the NYSC also disowned the discharge certificate attributed to him.
Nnaji resigned from office shortly after the allegations became public, insisting the claims were politically motivated and maintaining that his resignation was not an admission of guilt.
Following an ex parte order granted by the Federal High Court in June 2026, the former minister was arrested by the ICPC at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after returning from Enugu State.
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He appeared before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Monday to face charges relating to the alleged forgery of the UNN degree certificate and NYSC discharge certificate submitted to the Senate during his ministerial screening.
Despite the ongoing trial, Nnaji remains active in politics, having defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he recently emerged as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Enugu State election.
