An online platform, Premium Times, and the embattled Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, have disagreed on the certificate scandal rocking the latter.
The duo have been trading words with the former claiming that available report at its disposal revealed that the minister did not graduate from the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1975 as he suggested.
While Musikilu Mojeed represented the online platform as its Editor-in-Chief, Robert Ngwu, spoke on behalf of the minister.
Both were guests on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday night.
“A whistleblower had sent us an email to our newsroom to raise concern and alert us of some discrepancies in the minister’s claim. The whistleblower appealed to us to investigate that he or she is confident that if we do diligent investigation, we would be able to uncover something shocking,” Mojeed said.
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“We took up the challenge and started working on it since 2023. The certificate in that submission, there are two of them that became of interest to us – the NYSC certificate and his degree certificate from the University of Nigeria Nsukka. We then attached it to a Freedom of Information letter to the NYSC, asking them to authenticate the certificate.
“The NYSC wrote back. They said no, we can’t authenticate this certificate. We don’t have any record of this certificate. In three different correspondences, the university says it didn’t issue the certificate. I mean correspondence to us by the vice chancellor, a letter to us today by the university’s registrar and a letter to the Public Complaints Commission. The university says it didn’t issue the certificate.
On the contrary, the minister’s aide, Chukwunonye Okereke, held unto his principal, denying any form of wrongdoing.
“He studied Biochemistry/Microbiology. He was enrolled Year 1, second year, third year, fourth year. He graduated with a set and the University of Nigeria Nsukka deemed it fit in character and learning to graduate him,” Okereke stated.
“We have a PDP arm in the University of Nigeria Nsukka. The immediate past Acting Vice Chancellor was the Returning Officer for PDP in Nkanu East Local Government Area. He was compensated with the Acting Vice Chancellor position.”
When asked if the minister’s ordeal was politically motivated, Okereke replied in the affirmative.
