Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, on Monday pleaded with the authorities of the University of Nigeria Nsukka to release his academic transcript without further delay and stop playing further politics with the vital document.

He insisted that having bagged a BSc degree in Microbiology/biochemistry with second class honours (lower division) in 1985, the university has no right to continue to hold back his academic laurel.

The minister, who is accused of forging the certificate he submitted to the government upon his appointment as a minister in 2023, defended himself through his spokesman, Dr. Robert Ngwu, at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday.

Nnaji accused the university authorities of trying to dent his image by issuing two conflicting reports regarding his certificate all in a bid to satisfy a governor, who wants him out of office so as to enhance his political position.

At the briefing, Nnaji tendered the graduation brochure with his name as Nnaji Uchenna G and picture along with other graduates in the 1985 set, and another letter issued to him by the Registrar, Dr. Mrs. Celine Ngozi Nnebedum, showing that he was admitted in 1981 and that he graduated in 1985.

Asked how the name Nnaji Uchenna G written in his graduation brochure and Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji, which the registrar wrote as the person who graduated in 1985 can be taken to mean the same thing, the spokesman, said it did not matter as many Igbo names mean the same thing.

The minister said he was shocked to learn that after the letter written by the university in 2023 attesting to his graduation from the university in 1985, the same institution later wrote another letter in May 2025 claiming that there was no record of his graduation from the university, accusing the vice chancellor of being economical with the truth.

The minister said it was when he got wind of the attempts by the institution to tamper with his records for political reason, that he instituted a legal challenge against the vice chancellor and the management from carrying out their nefarious plots to destroy his academic records.

Nnaji however regretted that despite the court injunction compelling the university to release hi academic transcript to him, the vice chancellor has refused to do so but continued to engage in cyberbullying and politically-motivated media trial against him.

The minister said, “It is increasingly clear that this entire episode is not about education or integrity-it is about political desperation, disguised as academic inquiry. The timing, the sources, the false documents, and the paid narratives all point to a coordinated campaign to drag a reputable public servant into the mud of partisan politics.

“The University of Nigeria, Nsukka must uphold its proud motto of restoring the dignity of man. It must regain its integrity by distancing itself from political manipulation and reaffirming the authenticity of its own official record. This is not about one man’s record-it is about protecting truth, preserving institutional honour, and ensuring that no university in Nigeria ever becomes a pawn in partisan politics,” the minister said. (Vanguard)

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