A certificate forgery dispute involving former Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Uche Nnaji, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and other parties has moved toward possible out-of-court settlement, leading to a pause in further proceedings before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The development was disclosed on Monday during proceedings before Justice Hauwa Yilwa when the matter came up for hearing of pending applications.
Nnaji had approached the court in October 2025 following an investigation that alleged he forged his first degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates.
The report also alleged that the documents were submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial screening process.
Nnaji later resigned from his position as minister amid the controversy, stating that he did not want the issue to become a distraction to the administration.
Since the suit was filed, proceedings have faced repeated delays caused by procedural challenges, including issues relating to service of court processes and several preliminary objections raised by the defendants.
When the matter was called on Monday, counsel to Nnaji, Ope Muritala, informed the court that although the case was scheduled for hearing of pending applications, parties were now exploring an amicable resolution and requested an adjournment to allow discussions continue.
“There is a new development as parties are exploring an out-of-court settlement,” he told the court.
Lawyers representing the first defendant, the Minister of Education, and the second defendant, the National Universities Commission, P.C. Ike and N.H. Obah, said they were not previously aware of the settlement discussions until arriving in court, but did not oppose the request for adjournment.
Counsel for the third to seventh defendants, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and its principal officers, Chidubem Ugwueze, confirmed that the move toward settlement had earlier been communicated.
He told the court that Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chris Uche, who is leading the defence team, informed him of the development.
According to him, the information originated from another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wole Olanipekun, who represents Nnaji.
Although he did not oppose the proposed settlement efforts, Ugwueze urged the court to proceed with hearing the defendants’ argument on a pending motion for regularisation in the event negotiations failed.
Justice Yilwa, however, declined the request, stating that it would be more appropriate to consider such applications only if the efforts to resolve the matter out of court were unsuccessful.
