A Federal High Court in Abuja had in September, rejected a prayer by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, to stop the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), from releasing his academic records.
The Court presided over by Justice Hausa Yilwa, had in a ruling delivered on September 22, 2025, dismissed Nnaji’s request for an interim injunction seeking to stop UNN from releasing his academic records.
A Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Court sighted on Monday morning indicated that Nnaji through an ex parte motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025, asked the court to restrain the university from releasing or tampering with his academic records.
In the court documents, Nnaji admitted that he had not yet collected his degree certificate in spite of the fact that he submitted a certificate to the Senate in August 2023, during his ministerial screening.
Nnaji claimed in affidavit that even though he was yet to collect his certificate from UNN due to the non-cooperative attitude of the university authorities, the institution had once confirmed his graduation.
According to Nnaji; “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”.
But, after listening to the arguments, Justice Yilwa declined to grant the request for an injunction.
The court however, granted three of the Minister’s prayers regarding his interest in the matter and compelling the university to release his academic transcript.
Justice Yilwa declared; “I find that the applicant has sufficient interest in the matter, and the application is partly meritorious. Accordingly, prayers 1, 2 and 3 are granted, while prayer 4, which sought an injunction, is declined.”
Justice Yilwa specifically directed that the approved reliefs should not be interpreted as restraining any party from carrying out its lawful duties.
The Court held; “Prayer 4 is declined. Having being refused the granting of reliefs 1-3 shall not serve as injunctive reliefs against any of the parties. That’s the order of the court”.
The court ruling followed the position of the UNN which insisted that Nnaji never graduated from the institution.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNN, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, had declared in a letter dated October 2, 2025, saying; “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 UNN insisted that it could not have issued Nnaji any certificate since he did not complete his studies—a position it said was consistent with a previous letter it sent to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025.
