…Gives One-Week Ultimatum, Threatens Mass Protest
The Joint Civil Society Front (JCSF), Enugu State, has demanded the immediate suspension of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, over his role in the spiralling certificate forgery scandal involving former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Enugu, the Coordinator of JCSF, Hon. Vincent Ani, said the UNN VC should step aside while the investigative panel set up by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, carries out its inquiry into the controversy that led to Nnaji’s resignation last week.
The panel commenced sitting on Monday, November 24, 2025.
“VC’s Continued Stay in Office Compromises Probe”
JCSF argued that Prof. Ortuanya’s continued stay in office poses a threat to the neutrality, transparency and credibility of the investigation, warning that no person whose actions are under scrutiny should remain in a position to influence or undermine the process.
The group expressed outrage that the VC personally released Chief Nnaji’s academic records to Premium Times in response to a Freedom of Information request—without involving the University Registrar, the statutory custodian of student records.
According to JCSF, this violation of procedure “exposes political motives, personal bias and a deliberate attempt to manipulate institutional processes for undisclosed interests.”
Contradictory Records Raise More Questions
The civil society coalition drew attention to what it described as “dangerous inconsistencies” in the university’s official communication regarding Nnaji’s student status.
It said on December 21, 2023, the UNN, in a letter signed by the Registrar, Mrs. Ngozi Nnebedum, confirmed that Nnaji was admitted in 1981 and graduated in 1985 with a B.Sc. in Microbiology/Biochemistry—backed by the 1985 convocation brochure and photo album containing Nnaji’s name and image.
However, on October 2, 2025, another letter—this time signed by the Vice Chancellor—declared that Nnaji never graduated from UNN and was never issued a certificate.
JCSF said the disappearance of academic records within just two years, without any reported fire outbreak or system failure, “raises alarming suspicion of political interference and malicious manipulation within the university.”
“We Will Occupy UNN in One Week”
The group issued a one-week ultimatum to Prof. Ortuanya to step aside pending the conclusion of the federal probe.
“If he fails to comply,” the statement read, “JCSF and its affiliates will mobilise massive social protests at the UNN campuses in Nsukka and Enugu.”
While accusing the UNN leadership of being uncooperative with the federal panel, JCSF reminded the university authorities that the Supreme Court has ruled in several cases that government ministries and agencies are not barred from carrying out their constitutional duties even when related matters are in court.
The Education Minister’s investigative panel, the group argued, falls squarely within that category.
“UNN Must Choose Integrity Over Politics”
JCSF insisted that the integrity of Nigeria’s premier indigenous university is at stake, warning that the unfolding scandal could leave “a permanent stain” on the institution if its leaders fail to embrace full transparency.
They called on Prof. Ortuanya to emulate former Minister Uche Nnaji, who resigned “not as admission of guilt but as a vote of confidence in an open and unrestricted investigation.”
The group urged the Federal Ministry of Education to enforce accountability to protect Nigeria’s educational institutions from “political manipulation that threatens the future of our children.”
“Before the panel packs its bags and returns to Abuja due to lack of cooperation,” Hon. Ani Vincent declared, “we remind UNN that the law does not shield any institution from submitting to due process. We demand transparency. We demand accountability. And we demand that the Vice Chancellor steps aside immediately.”
