Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, has urgently requested the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), to release his academic transcript, asserting his innocence amid allegations of certificate forgery. The plea comes as the Federal High Court in Abuja set November 10 to hear his legal suit against the university over the matter.
Nnaji insists he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry with a second class honours (lower division) in 1985 from UNN, and that the university is unjustly withholding his academic records.
The controversy intensified after conflicting reports appeared, that a 2023 letter from UNN stated he graduated, while a May 2025 university letter declared no record of his graduation exists. The Minister accuses some university authorities of political manipulation aimed at discrediting him, allegedly to satisfy a political rival governor.
At a media briefing in Abuja, Nnaji’s spokesman, Dr. Robert Ngwu, presented the 1985 graduation brochure listing Nnaji’s name (Nnaji Uchenna G) and a letter from the then Registrar confirming admission in 1981 and graduation in 1985.
Responding to the name discrepancy between the brochure and official letters, Nnaji cited common variations in Igbo names as explanations.
Despite a court injunction to release the transcript, the Vice Chancellor has reportedly refused to comply, continuing what Nnaji terms as cyberbullying and a media trial fueled by political motives. Nnaji condemned the ongoing situation as a politically driven campaign damaging his reputation under the guise of academic inquiry.
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