Justice Hausa Yilwa, in a ruling delivered on September 22, held that the minister’s request for an injunction lacked merit. The decision was contained in a Certified True Copy of the judgment obtained by our correspondent on Sunday.
Nnaji, through an ex parte motion (FHC/ABJ/CS/1909/2025), had urged the court to restrain UNN from releasing or tampering with his academic documents. He also sought an order compelling the university to release his transcript.
After reviewing his submissions, Justice Yilwa ruled that although the minister had an interest in the case, his plea for an injunction to stop UNN from releasing the records could not be granted.
“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,” the judge said.
In a follow-up, UNN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, confirmed in a letter dated October 2, 2025, that the institution had no record showing Nnaji’s graduation.
“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 stated.
The university maintained that since Nnaji did not complete his studies, it could not have issued him a certificate, reaffirming an earlier position communicated to the Public Complaints Commission in May 2025.
In his court filings, Nnaji admitted that he had yet to collect his certificate from UNN but insisted he graduated in 1985 with a Second Class (Lower Division) in Microbiology/Biochemistry.
The minister listed as respondents in the suit include the Minister of Education, National Universities Commission, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, its Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, former Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Oguejiofor Ujam, and the university’s Senate.
