The resignation of Uche Nnaji as Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation has once again drawn national attention to a lingering national disgrace of certificate forgery.
Nnaji tendered his resignation following allegations that he submitted a falsified Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, an academic claim the institution unequivocally denied, alongside a forged NYSC certificate allegedly presented to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate. Although he dismissed the allegations as political blackmail, his resignation served as a tacit admission of guilt.
In Anambra State, that story carries an opportunity for moral atonement. A growing number of political hopefuls are reportedly parading degrees that cannot withstand scrutiny, some from universities not even recognized by the National Universities Commission. A few of them are already in the queue for the November eight, 2025 governorship election, rehearsing campaign slogans with certificates as fake as their promises.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who has fought fake native doctors and their deceitful okite rituals, has already warned that the next cleansing will target certificate fraudsters.
That strong warning is deeply rooted in our law. Sections three hundred and sixty-three and three hundred and sixty-four of the Criminal Code Act, Cap thirty-eight, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, clearly define forgery as the act of making, altering, or using a false document with the intent to deceive or defraud. This includes the use of fake academic certificates, whether illegally modified or obtained from unaccredited institutions operating as degree mills and not recognized by the National Universities Commission. The law prescribes up to fourteen years imprisonment for offenders. Simply put, certificate forgery is not just a moral failure; it is a grave crime against the Nigerian state.
History has shown that the path of forgery always ends in disgrace.
Certificate forgery is not just a crime; it is a calculated assault on merit and a mockery of those who earned their credentials through sweat and sacrifice.
Political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville warned centuries ago that “A democracy that scorns integrity will eventually elect scoundrels.” And that is precisely what we must resist as Anambra approaches another election season. Any aspirant whose certificate cannot be verified by the NUC or traced to an authentic institution abroad should not only be disqualified but prosecuted. Leadership must not be built on lies, because governance built on falsehood can only deliver failure.
Governor Soludo’s determination to cleanse the system is therefore both timely and courageous. Just as he reclaimed the spiritual space from fake prophets, he is now reclaiming the intellectual space from fake scholars. It is not politics, it is purification.
For those preparing to contest the Anambra governorship election with forged papers or certificates from shadowy universities abroad, the message is simple: the game is up. The moral winds are changing, and truth is taking center stage again.
Integrity, not imitation, is the only credential that endures. A forged degree may open a door, but it cannot keep the house standing. Nigeria will only rise when truth stops sounding strange, and when those who lie on paper stop leading in person.
DR. TONY OLISA MBEKI
