The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has authenticated the Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, amid renewed petitions questioning his academic credentials.
The verification followed calls by a civil society group in December 2025 for a probe into allegations surrounding the minister’s academic records, with particular focus on his WAEC certificate. The claims resurfaced alongside earlier questions raised about his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, despite repeated denials by his associates who described the allegations as politically motivated.
A WAEC document titled Attestation of Results confirms that Tunji-Ojo attended the Staff Secondary School at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, and sat for the Senior Secondary School Examination in June 1999. The attestation bears his full name, date of birth, embossed photograph, original certificate number, and official authentication markings.
According to the document, the minister sat for nine subjects: Economics, English Language, Yoruba Language, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Agricultural Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. His results show grades of B3 in Economics, B2 in Mathematics, A1 in Agricultural Science, B3 in Biology, C6 in Chemistry, C6 in English Language, A1 in Yoruba Language, C6 in Further Mathematics, and B3 in Physics.
The certificate carries the original WAEC certificate number, along with a candidate identification number and the official signatures of the registrar and the head of the national office. Standard WAEC security features, including embossed photographs and institutional seals, are also visible. WAEC attestations are issued to verify or replace original certificates and are recognised as valid proof of examination results.
Tunji-Ojo was appointed minister in 2023 and oversees agencies responsible for internal security, migration, correctional services, and border management.
Following his appointment, his academic records submitted during the screening and confirmation process came under public scrutiny. In August 2023, questions were also raised about his NYSC certificate. Tunji-Ojo stated that he completed his service between November 2019 and November 2020, though the certificate was issued in February 2023.
The NYSC later clarified that the certificate is genuine, explaining that the minister was first mobilised in 2006 but absconded, before resurfacing and being remobilised in 2019. He was subsequently deployed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration, with the NYSC noting that his certificate was omitted during the initial batch printing in 2020.
Despite these clarifications, the allegations have continued to resurface periodically, with supporters of the minister describing them as part of a sustained smear campaign.
