By Anita John 
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a request by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, to stop the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), from releasing his academic records.
- Justice Hausa Yilwa rules against Nnaji’s injunction request.
- UNN insists Nnaji did not complete his degree and was never issued a certificate.
- Court grants some reliefs but allows the university to carry out its lawful duties.
Justice Hausa Yilwa, in a ruling delivered on September 22, rejected Nnaji’s plea for an injunction that sought to restrain UNN from releasing or tampering with his academic records.
Accusation of fake degree and NYSC certificate against Uche Nnaji began a few months after he was nominated by President Bola Tinubu as a minister in 2023.
The case, filed under number FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025, arose from an ex parte motion in which the minister asked the court to both restrict and compel the university to act on his academic documents.
After reviewing submissions from Nnaji’s counsel, Justice Yilwa held that while the minister had a legitimate interest in the matter, his request to block the university from releasing his records could not stand.
“The application is partly meritorious,” the judge ruled. “Prayers 1, 2, and 3 are granted, while prayer 4, seeking an injunction, is declined.”
The court clarified that the granted reliefs did not prevent the university or any party from performing their lawful functions.
In a separate development, the Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, in a letter dated October 2, 2025, said the university had no record showing that Nnaji completed his studies.
“From our records, we cannot confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985. There are no records showing that he completed his studies,” the letter stated.
The university added that its position aligns with an earlier communication sent to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025, reaffirming that no certificate was ever issued to the minister.
Court documents also revealed that Nnaji, in his filings, admitted he had not collected his degree certificate but insisted the institution had confirmed his graduation in a letter dated December 21, 2023.
The minister named seven respondents in the suit, including the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), UNN, its Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, former Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Oguejiofor Ujam, and the university’s Senate.
Questions over the authenticity of academic qualifications have increasingly drawn public scrutiny, particularly among public office holders. The UNN–Nnaji case has rekindled debate over record verification and transparency in Nigeria’s higher education system.
Efforts by online investigative media outlets such as The Gazette and Premium Times had been thwarted by the institution’s former authorities. However, the new Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, has committed himself to transparency and accountability, leading to a ground-breaking report by Premium Times, which confirmed that the minister’s NYSC and degree certificates were forged.
President Bola Tinubu, who faced a similar allegation in the past, is yet to react to the issue, while his media aides, known for their usual vocal stance, remain silent at the time of publication.
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