The Nigerian government has taken decisive action against 18 foreign universities operating within the country, branding them as “degree mills” and warning citizens to steer clear of enrolling in such institutions. The directive affects five universities from the United States, six from the United Kingdom, and three Ghanaian tertiary institutions. The National Universities Commission, in a statement, emphasized that these universities have not been licensed by the Federal Government and have consequently been shut down for violating the Education (National Minimum Standards, etc.) Act of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
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The list of affected institutions includes the University of Applied Sciences & Management in the Republic of Benin, Volta University College in Ghana, International University in Missouri, USA, operating in Kano and Lagos, and Columbus University in the United Kingdom operating anywhere in Nigeria, among others.
In a move to address concerns and ensure the integrity of academic qualifications, the Federal Ministry of Education has temporarily suspended the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo. This decision follows an undercover investigative report exposing certificate racketeering, where a journalist obtained a degree within six weeks from a Beninese university involved in producing fake degrees for a fee.
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Expressing disdain for such practices, the Ministry of Education, in a statement, announced the suspension of the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo until the outcome of an investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education of Nigeria, the two countries, the Department of State Security Services, and the National Youth Service Corps.
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The ministry urged the public to support its efforts, show understanding, and provide useful information. It also initiated internal administrative processes to determine the culpability of its staff, with applicable Public Service Rules to be applied.
Highlighting the global challenge of institutions operating clandestinely outside regulatory control, the ministry emphasized its commitment to addressing the issue. It acknowledged periodic warnings issued against such institutions and reiterated its determination to review strategies, procedures, and processes to plug loopholes and deal decisively with any conniving officials.
Concerns about fake degrees from degree mills have been ongoing, with reports of Nigerians purchasing fraudulent degrees both within and outside the country. The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, called for the establishment of a board to accredit foreign degrees in Nigeria and attributed the prevalence of fake degrees to impatience and a quest to cut corners among Nigerians seeking academic credentials.
