NYSC disowns ex-minister Nnaji’s discharge certificate

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Tuesday distanced itself from the discharge certificate it purportedly issued to a former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji.

The corps declared its stance on the document at Federal High Court in Abuja, where Mr Nnaji is facing prosecution for allegedly forging his NYSC discharge certificate and a University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) certificate, both of which he presented to be appointed minister in 2023. The charges against the former minister also include money laundering allegations.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) launched an investigation into Mr Nnaji and subsequently charged him following PREMIUM TIMES report exposing the certificate forgery scandal leading to Mr Nnaji’s ouster from office last year.

The former minister is the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate for the upcoming 2027 governorship candidate in Enugu State.

NYSC’s Assistant Director in the Department of Certification, Yusuf Jumare, appeared in the case on Tuesday as the second prosecution witness, The Guardian reported.

Testifying before trial judge Joyce Abdulmalik, the witness said an investigation by his department established that the NYSC certificate tendered by Mr Nnaji was fake.

Led in evidence by prosecution lawyer Jimoh Abdulmumuni, a SAN, Mr Jumare identified four features gave the document away as forged, corroborating PREMIUM TIMES’ earlier investigative findings published in October 2025.

Firstly, Mr Jumare said, the certificate number, purportedly issued in 1985, carried the prefix “A”, which the NYSC did not begin using until 1990.

He added that while the call-up number on the certificate had four digits (0137), the NYSC was using five-digit call-up number as of 1985.

He also said the certificate indicated that the service year lasted service year lasted 13 months instead of 12 months.

The witness also said the copy presented by Mr Nnaji was not signed by the Director-General of the NYSC at that time.

The prosecution tendered copies of correspondences between the ICPC and the NYSC on the alleged fake certificate. They were admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits.

The defence said it was was not served with the documents and reserved its objection to the documents till the final address stage.

The prosecution lawyer, Mr Abdulmumuni, who said his team just took over the matter, promised to make copies of the documents available to the defence.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Bode Olanikpekun, a SAN, the prosecution witness maintained that the certificate was not issued by the NYSC.

Mr Jim are, who maintained that his department is the custodian of all NYSC certificates, explained that discharge certificates are issued to corps members only on completion of their service year. He said the discharge certificate serves as proof of the completion of the service year.

He added that preparatory to the service year, call-up letters are sent by the NYSC to the institutions where prospective corp members graduate from and collect them for mobilisation.

He said NYSC mobilises only graduates whose institutions forward their names.

He admitted that he did not check whether the NYSC ever issued a discharge certificate to the defendant.

Trial judge Ms Abdulmalik adjourned the case until 30 November 30 for continuation of cross-examination.

She also scheduled 29 January 2027 for further proceedings.

The ICPC opened its case in October, with its first prosecution witness, Yakubu Ibrahim, a superintendent of police officer with agency, testifying that both the UNN and the NYSC disowned certificates linked to Mr Nnaji.

Mr Ibrahim said his team was assigned to investigate the matter after the commission received two separate petitions alleging certificate forgery against Mr Nnaji.

He said the Chairman of the Special Task Force directed an investigation, prompting the commission to request relevant documents from the National Assembly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

According to him, the Clerk of the Senate, National Assembly, forwarded Mr Nnaji’s NYSC certificate and BSc certificate in Microbiology and Biochemistry to the commission.

He said NYSC responded that the certificate purportedly issued by the corps was not issued by it.

The witness further told the court that UNN also responded that Nnaji failed to obtain the required grades for the award of his certificate.

He said the university explained in its letter the policy governing the grades required for the award of a certificate saying if one failed four times, the person was not qualified.

Mr Ibrahim said Mr Nnaji failed at two stages and did not write the examination at the third stage for medical reasons.

“The witness said that, according to the letter, the defendant went ahead to write the supplementary examination for which he did not register,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim further testified that UNN confirmed that the BSc certificate in Microbiology and Biochemistry attributed to the defendant was not issued by the university.

He said the commission also obtained documents from the SGF’s office, including a payslip, which prompted it to request Mr Nnaji’s bank statement.

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According to him, the bank statement showed that Mr Nnaji received N29.5 million in salary as minister before he resigned.

The witness identified letters sent to the Clerk of the Senate, the SGF, UNN, NYSC, the bank and Mr Nnaji, which were tendered in evidence.

He also told the court that Mr Nnaji failed to honour the commission’s invitation to answer questions on the petitions, prompting the ICPC to contact the State Security Service (SSS).
Ibrahim said the SSS subsequently arrested Mr Nnaji on 1 July.

On 13 July, ICPC arraigned the 63-year-old on six charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Counts three, four, five and six specifically relate to the alleged certificate forgery, while the first two counts relate to the alleged misappropriation of funds while in office.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Judge Joyce Abdulmalik granted him bail in the sum of N20 million with one surety.