ABUJA, Oct 7 (The African Portal) – A Nigerian court has adjourned a case involving Industry, Trade and Investment Minister Geoffrey Nnaji, who is challenging the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), over claims that he forged his academic certificate.
Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja postponed the hearing to Nov. 10 after lawyers representing UNN and its officials failed to file their responses.
Counsel for the university, Asogwa, told the court he would advise his clients to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the suit.
Nnaji, who faces allegations of submitting a fake university degree upon his appointment in 2023, has denied wrongdoing. Speaking through his spokesman, Robert Ngwu, he accused the university of attempting to damage his reputation by issuing conflicting statements about his academic records.
He said UNN first confirmed in 2023 that he graduated with a BSc in Microbiology/Biochemistry in 1985, but later issued a letter in May 2025 denying any record of his graduation. Nnaji alleged that the move was politically motivated and linked to efforts by a state governor to remove him from office.
The minister said he had presented evidence including a 1985 graduation brochure showing his name and photograph, as well as a letter from the university registrar confirming his admission and completion of studies.
He also criticised the university’s refusal to release his academic transcript despite a court order, describing the dispute as “a politically driven campaign disguised as an academic inquiry.”
The controversy comes amid calls from opposition leader Peter Obi for Nigeria’s electoral commission and other agencies to verify academic credentials submitted by political candidates.
