By Eze Chukwu
The Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji has blamed the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, for the controversy trailing his academic qualifications at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
The minister spoking through his Technical Assistant, Dr. Robert Ngwu on Monday in Abuja, said that the fear of losing the 2027 Governorship election to the Minister, if he decides to contest in the election, precipitated the resort to blackmail the minister, using every available means, including launching orchestrated media campaign to falsely and maliciously malign and blackmail the minister.
He hinged the current wave of “media blackmail” on what he described as “orchestrated plots to ensure the minister doesn’t emerge as the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2027 governorship election in Enugu State.
Ngwu stressed that the emergence of a letter purported to have been a response to an enquiry on the Minister’s Bachelor’s Degree certificate upon which Premium Times, “built it false story”, contradicts the UNN’s 21st December , 2023 response to Samuel Ogundipe of People’s Gazette, which had confirmed the minister’s academic record as a bona fide 1985 graduate of Microbiology/Biochemistry of the university.
“What changed between December 2023 and May 2025 is that two card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suddenly emerged as Acting Vice-Chancellor and then as substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University”.
He further noted that “by academic convention worldwide, the Registrar, not the Vice-Chancellor, is the custodian of all examination and graduation records,” adding that “any attempt by a Vice-Chancellor to assume that role is an annotation in university protocol and, in this cases an obvious political overreach.
“Earlier this year, he requested for transcript from the university and even with the court order, we have not received it from the university in spite of a court order”.
Reiterating Nnaji’s integrity, Dr. Ngwu stated: “Uche Nnaji been Commissioner for Education in Enugu State for six years; Secretary to the Government (SSG) of Enugu State; former Director-General of the Nigerian Governors Forum, before his appointment as Minister.
“When he was appointed minister, he was screened by the DSS and other security agencies. He submitted his certificates to them and he was cleared.
“We don’t want a situation where people will come and tarnish the image of the institution.
“If you look at within the weekend, there is a barrage, the Hon. Minister is a perfect gentleman and has built his reputation over time and it will be unfair for anybody to tarnish the good image of the minister.
“We have no doubt that all these are coming from the Governor of Enugu State. He wants to come for a second term like every other governor and he feels the only way to do it is get Uche Nnaji out of the way.
“He wants to join APC and he feels the minister must be kicked out of the way. We have it on good authority that he wants to join APC.
“Since he graduated, except in 1999 when he ran for the Senate and became Senator-elect and stepped down for Senator Jim Nwobod, he has remained in the private sector”.
