A Federal High Court in Abuja has approved an application seeking an official investigation into the academic credentials of Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The ruling was delivered on Friday by Justice Binta Nyako, who granted the request filed by activist Emorioloye Owolemi. The approval allows relevant authorities to verify the authenticity of the minister’s secondary school certificate reportedly issued by the West African Examinations Council.
The application was brought through an ex-parte motion by Owolemi’s lawyer, Philemon Yakubu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). It was based on provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, and the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules. According to the court, the request met the legal requirements necessary to warrant further inquiry.
However, a separate request connected to the minister’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) records was rejected by another Federal High Court. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik declined the application, which sought to compel the National Youth Service Corps to release details relating to the minister’s discharge certificate and service history.
In that rejected application, the activist had asked for wide-ranging documents, including monthly clearance records, posting and deployment details, allowance payment logs, bank schedules, and internal NYSC correspondence linked to the minister’s 2006 service year.
While the court declined to grant access to the NYSC records, it maintained that the request concerning the secondary school certificate could proceed in line with transparency and accountability principles.
Justice Nyako has fixed March 14 for further hearing on the matter.
