The Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon U. Ortuanya, has denied a report by Premium Times that claimed he disowned Minister Uche Nnaji’s degree certificate. According to Prof. Ortuanya, he neither discussed nor shared any correspondence with the author of the report, Chinagorom Ugwu.
The controversy surrounding Minister Nnaji’s academic credentials began after Premium Times published an investigative report alleging that the minister did not complete his studies at UNN and was never issued a certificate. The report cited a response from Prof. Ortuanya to a Freedom of Information request, which stated that Mr. Nnaji was admitted to the institution in 1981 but did not graduate.
A source confirmed to our reporter that Prof. Ortuanya emphasized that the university cannot discuss a graduate’s results with journalists without the individual’s explicit consent, citing the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and Section 37 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, which guarantee citizens’ right to privacy. He warned journalists and politicians to avoid dragging university administrators into their misguided activities.
The Premium Times report highlighted discrepancies in Minister Nnaji’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates. The NYSC certificate bore the signature of Colonel Animashaun Braimoh, who became Director of the Corps in 1988, two years after the date on the certificate. The document also carried an alphanumeric serial number inconsistent with the numbering system used in the 1980s.
The source also challenged Premium Times and Chinagorom Ugwu to mention the name of the Senator who allegedly gave them the certificate, stating that no Senator of the Federal Republic in this 10th Assembly gave out personal data from Uche Nnaji’s file.
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