Former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who was forced out of office in October last year, has sought talks with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and others for an out-of-court settlement of the suit he filed to stop the university from tampering with his academic records.
Mr Nnaji filed the suit in October last year after a PREMIUM TIMES investigation revealed that he forged his degree and NYSC certificates.
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He resigned from office three days after the newspaper published the investigation, which detailed how he submitted the certificates to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate to be appointed minister in 2023.
Apart from the UNN (third defendant), other defendants are the Minister of Education (first defendant), the National Universities Commission (second defendant), the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya (fourth defendant), the registrar (fifth defendant), former acting Vice-Chancellor, Oguejiofo Ujam (sixth defendant), and the Senate of the university (seventh defendant).
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However, the case has not proceeded to full hearing since last year due to procedural issues, including service of processes and pending preliminary objections.
At Monday’s proceedings, Ope Muritala who appeared for Mr Nnaji told the court that the case although the case was scheduled for hearing, there is “a new development as parties were exploring an out-of-court settlement”.
He requested an adjournment to allow talks.
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Lawyers to the Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission, P. C Ike and N. H. Obah, said they were not aware of the development and only heard of it “this morning in court.” They, however, did not oppose the request for settlement discussions.
Lawyer to UNN and its officials ( third to Seventh defendants), Chidubem Ugwueze, said that senior advocate Chris Uche, the lead counsel for the defence had informed him of the settlement discussions, which were relayed by Nnaji’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun.
He said the defendants were not opposed to settlement but urged the court to “hear their motion for regularisation” in case the talks fail.
However, the judge, Hauwa Yilwa, declined to take the application. She said the motion would be considered if the settlement efforts fail.
In view of the settlement discussions, the judge adjourned the matter to 8 July, following agreement by the parties.
It is not immediately clear what is still at stake in the suit for the planned settlement talks to focus on.
Recently, an investigative panel set up by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, found that Mr Nnaji indeed forged his UNN degree certificate.
Mr Nnaji had in an ex parte motion sought leave to institute the action to bar the university and its officials from tampering with his academic records.
He also sought an order of mandamus compelling the university to release his academic transcript, and asked the Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission to use their supervisory powers to ensure compliance.
He further sought an interim injunction restraining the university and its officials from interfering with his academic records pending determination of the substantive suit.
But UNN and the University officials in a preliminary objection urged the court to strike out the suit for lack of jurisdiction.
They also sought substantial costs against the third, fourth, and sixth defendants.
They argued that the application was filed outside the statutory time limit under Order 34 Rule 4(1) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 and Section 2(a) of the Public Officers Protection Act.
They further argued that the suit was incompetent because the motion for prerogative orders was wrongly filed by motion on notice instead of an originating motion, as required by the rules.
They described the application as premature and speculative, arguing that no request for academic records had been denied and no evidence of interference had been shown.
The defendants also argued that the court lacked jurisdiction over matters relating to student academic records, examinations, results, and transcripts.
They said the dispute did not fall within matters covered under Section 251(1) of the Constitution.
They further argued that internal remedies had not been exhausted and that no breach of fundamental rights had been established.
They added that no reasonable cause of action was disclosed against the third to seventh defendants, including the Vice-Chancellor, Simon Ortuanya, who acted in an official capacity.
READ ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: UNN sanctions official for issuing false document claiming ex-Minister Uche Nnaji graduated from university
Confirmations
The seven-member panel constituted by the Minister of Education on 23 November 2025 in response to Mr Nnaji’s petition had cleared the vice-chancellor of any wrongdoing and confirmed Mr Nnaji indeed forged his certificate.
PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation had revealed that although Mr Nnaji was admitted to study biological sciences at UNN during the 1981/82 academic session, he did not graduate and was not issued a certificate after failing one of his courses —Virology (MCB 431AB).
In the federal government panel report, exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, investigators said they conducted “a thorough review of the Senate-approved graduation list of 1985 and the personal student file” of Mr Nnaji and found, among others, that his name was not in the graduation list in the 1985 set.
The panel said it obtained “several correspondences” dated from 8 November 1985 to 19 May 1986 between Mr Nnaji and the Registry Department of the university regarding his failed course MCB 431 – Virology, which were documented from pages 69 to 55 of the former minister’s academic file.
It added that Mr Nnaji, in his handwritten correspondence dated 19 May 1986 and titled “Application to take course, 431AB in September,” explained that he could not write the exam scheduled for 21 April 1986 due to ill health, and attached a supporting medical report.
“The panel was unable to find any record of him (Nnaji) having taken the failed course,” the report further read.
The panel then wondered how Mr Nnaji obtained the “purported certificate of graduation” dated July 1985, which he submitted to President Bola Tinubu for appointment and to the National Assembly for his ministerial confirmation.
The panel’s findings on Mr Nnaji aligned with this newspaper’s report, which exposed the then-minister’s criminal and unethical certificate forgery.
There have been strident calls for the prosecution of Mr Nnaji for forgery.
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