Fake degrees: FG orders varsities to submit matriculation lists.
The Federal Government has mandated all higher institutions in the country to “regularly submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education not later than three months after matriculation ceremonies.”
The government stated that you must submit the list “through the dedicated channel of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.”
The initiative is one of the recommendations made by a committee set up by the Federal Government to combat fake degree mills or racketeers in the country.
In March, the Federal Government set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers following an investigative report published by the Daily Nigerian that exposed the activities of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.
Umar Audu, a Daily Nigerian reporter, revealed how he obtained a degree within six weeks and even proceeded to embark on mandatory youth service under the National Youth Service Corps scheme back in Nigeria.
The investigative report, which exposed the illegalities perpetrated by some tertiary institutions in the West African countries, led to the Nigerian government placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from the Benin Republic and Togo.
After receiving the committee’s report, Minister of Education Tahir Mamman stated that the system will purge holders of fraudulent degrees from Nigerian and foreign universities.
The education ministry wrote a memo to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on July 15, 2024, stating, “You may recall that following the publication of allegations of certificate racketeering involving some foreign institutions, especially in Cotonou, Benin Republic, and other countries, the ministry constituted an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the allegations and find lasting solutions.”
“The committee has submitted its report, and the Honourable Minister of Education has approved its recommendations for implementation. “In that regard, I hereby convey the request of the honourable minister for the implementation of the following recommendations of the committee:
All Nigerian tertiary institutions must use the Central Admissions Processing System for all admissions processes, which is run by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
All Nigerian tertiary institutions must also send their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s designated channel no later than three months after the ceremonies. We kindly request that you implement the above recommendations and provide the ministry with implementation updates.