Uche Nnaji Loses Court Bid To Stop UNN From Releasing His Academic Records

The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected an application by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who tried to stop the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), from releasing his academic records.

Justice Hausa Yilwa, ruling on September 22, dismissed Uche Nnaji’s bid for an injunction.

Court documents showed that the minister, through an ex parte motion (FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025), had asked the court to restrain the university from disclosing or altering his records.

He also sought an order compelling UNN to release his transcript.

After reviewing the submissions, Justice Yilwa held that while the minister had a legitimate interest in the matter, his request to block UNN from making the records public could not stand.

The judge granted three of his prayers but refused the fourth, which sought an injunction.

In a separate development, UNN Vice-Chancellor Prof. Simon Ortuanya, in a letter dated October 2, 2025, stated that Nnaji never completed his programme at the institution and therefore was not awarded a certificate.

“From our records, we cannot confirm that Mr Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, the current Minister of Science and Technology, graduated from the University of Nigeria in July 1985. There are no records showing that he completed his studies,” the letter read in part.

The university explained that its position was consistent with a letter it had earlier sent to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025.

Court filings revealed that Nnaji admitted he had not collected his certificate but maintained that UNN had previously confirmed he graduated in July 1985 with a Second Class (Lower Division) in Microbiology/Biochemistry.

He argued that the university’s refusal to release his certificate was due to its “non-cooperative attitude.”

“Even though I am yet to collect my certificate from UNN due to the non-cooperative attitude of the university authorities, the institution had issued a letter dated December 21, 2023, to an online news platform confirming that I graduated in July 1985 with a Second Class (Lower Division) in Microbiology/Biochemistry,” Nnaji stated in his filing.

Nnaji dragged several parties to court, including the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission, UNN, its Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, a former Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oguejiofor Ujam, and the institution’s Senate.

KanyiDaily recalls that President Bola Tinubu’s government had vowed to arrest Nigerians with fake school certificates, labelling them as criminals.