A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a motion filed by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, seeking to stop the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), from releasing his academic records.
Justice Hausa Yilwa, who presided over the case, delivered the ruling on September 22, rejecting Nnaji’s application for an injunction against the university.
Nnaji had filed an ex parte motion asking the court to restrain UNN from releasing or altering his academic transcript. The court, however, after examining submissions from his legal team and reviewing the supporting affidavits, declined to grant the request.
In the certified true copy (CTC) of the ruling, Justice Yilwa acknowledged that the minister had a legitimate interest in the matter but held that the injunction could not be justified.
“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 ruled.
Justice Yilwa further clarified that the court’s decision should not be construed as preventing any institution or individual from carrying out their lawful duties.
Nnaji has been facing public scrutiny over allegations that he forged the academic credentials he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Senate during his ministerial confirmation.
Reports allege that the minister did not complete his university education and that both the bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he presented to Tinubu, as well as to the offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Senate, were falsified.
