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A civil rights group, Joint Civil Society Front (JCSF), Enugu State, has called for the suspension of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Prof Uchenna Ortuanya, from office pending the conclusion of the investigative panel of inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the alleged certificate forgery by former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji.
The group stated this in a press release entitled “Alleged Tampering of Chief Uche Nnaji’s Degree Certificate: Why UNN VC Must Be Suspended For Unfettered Investigation By Federal Ministry of Education Investigative Panel Of Inquiry”.
The Coordinator of the group, Vincent Ani, said the demand became necessary because the matter bothered on alleged tampering of Mr Nnaji’s academic records by the authorities of UNN.
Ani said, “The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has constituted a Panel of Investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged certificate tampering scandal — the very issue that precipitated the resignation of the former Minister.
“At the centre of this controversy is the UNN VC, Prof Ortuanya, who claimed that in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Premium Times, he personally released the academic records of Chief Nnaji, asserting that he did not graduate from the UNN. This action bypassed the Registrar, the statutory custodian of academic records. This action has raised immediate concerns about the motive behind the action of the vice chancellor who suddenly performed a statutory responsibility of the registrar.”
The group described the non-following of due process by the VC as “a strong sign of institutional malaise and a politically motivated bias with an undertone geared towards maligning the person of Chief Uche Nnaji”.
It commended the Education Minister for setting up the investigative panel, and insisted that “the principle of impartiality requires that any individual whose actions are subject of an inquiry be suspended while the investigation is ongoing”.
Quoting the group, “This will prevent interference, intimidation, destruction of evidence, or manipulation of records by the persons being investigated. We demand that Ortuanya be suspended while the panel conducts its assignment.
“This demand is not only about transparency but about protecting the integrity and reputation of UNN. From the abrupt shift in the UNN’s official position in 2023 on whether Chief Nnaji graduated, to the unexplained disappearance of academic records in 2025 which was previously relied upon by the Registrar: this is a dangerous precedent that has unfolded.”
According to the group, Chief Nnaji’s resignation was not an admission of guilt, but rather a vote for transparency and respect for due process. “We therefore expect that Ortuanya do same willingly like Uche Nnaji or be suspended by the Federal Ministry of Education so that the investigative panel can do their job smoothly without let or hindrance.”
It recalled that Mr Nnaji had formally requested that UNN release the certified copies of his transcripts and academic records, and urged the Federal Ministry of Education “to remove any obstruction by any one that wants to constitute a clog in the wheel of unravelling this mystery of a university authority suddenly tampering with a former student’s academic record”.
The group situated that the Investigative Panel would not have “unfettered access to documents while the VC remains in office”, adding that, “The Minister of Education must immediately suspend the VC to allow for a full and independent examination of the facts.”
JCSF, in the statement, vowed to mobilise mass social protest across the Nsukka and Enugu campuses if the VC was not suspended.
It said its call was “about protecting the dignity of our universities, the future of our children, and the credibility of academic records in Nigeria”.
