Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and
Technology, Uche Nnaji, has accused the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
(UNN) of deliberately withholding his academic transcript amid ongoing
allegations of certificate forgery.
The Minister, who faces a court case over the alleged
forgery, told Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court on Monday
that the university had refused to release his academic records despite his
formal request and payment in May 2024.
Nnaji maintained that he graduated from the
institution in 1985 with a BSc degree in Microbiology/Biochemistry
(Second Class Lower Division) and insisted that the university had no legal
right to hold back his academic credentials.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief
on Tuesday, the Minister’s spokesperson, Raphael Ngwu, alleged that the
UNN authorities were engaging in political manipulation of Nnaji’s academic
files.
“He didn’t tell the institution not to touch his
academic records. He said they should not tamper with or manipulate them
because we saw confidential materials from his student file leaked online,”
Ngwu said.
He further accused the university’s leadership of
partisanship, claiming that the Acting Vice Chancellor was a member of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that political interests in Enugu State
were influencing the situation.
“In May, he applied for his transcript and paid for
it, but it was not released,” Ngwu added.
According to him, the court granted Nnaji’s plea for
protection, ordering the university to stop tampering with his files and to
release his transcript.
“There was information that his files had been lodged
in the Vice Chancellor’s office for the last six months. The court granted his
prayers that the school stop any manipulation and release his transcript,” Ngwu
stated.
Nnaji’s forgery case dates back to 2023,
shortly after his ministerial appointment, when questions were raised about the
authenticity of his academic credentials. The matter remains before the Federal
High Court.
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