In a drastic move to combat fake degree racketeering in the country, the Federal Government announces that it will impose sanction on higher institutions that fail to submit their lists of admitted students within three months of matriculation.
This directive was communicated through a memo titled, “CLARIFICATION ON DISCLOSURE OF ADMITTED CANDIDATES OUTSIDE CAPS( 2017-DATE)”, issued by the Joint Admission Board of Matriculation (Jamb).
This new initiative, according to JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, is part of a recommendation to combat fake degree racketeering in the country. The initiative was one of the key recommendations made by a committee established by the Federal Government to address the growing issue of counterfeit degree certificates.
According to the memo, institutions are to “regularly submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education not later than three months after matriculation ceremonies.”
The list is expected to be submitted through the dedicated channel of JAMB.
JAMB also highlighted that numerous candidates have been visiting its offices to resolve issues related to admissions that were not processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) from 2017 to date. While these concerns are noted, the Board clarified that the responsibility lies primarily with the institutions, urging them to disclose all admissions outside CAPS.
“This directive requires immediate attention and compliance. We urge institutions to carefully review our initial letter and ensure full compliance, as failure to disclose will result in severe consequences. Candidates are also reminded not to accept admissions outside CAPS.
The Board enphasised that candidates not disclosed by institutions would not be entertained. The Board will not tolerate any undisclosed admissions moving forward.
The development comes after 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 which exposed the activities of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.
In a similar development, a memo addressed to the JAMB on July 15, 2024, the education ministry said, “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 to 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:
“Enforce the mandatory requirement for all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to exclusively conduct their admissions processes through the Central Admissions Processing System under the auspices of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board; mandate all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to regularly submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education not later than three months after matriculation ceremonies through the dedicated channel of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
“You are kindly requested to implement the above recommendations and furnish the ministry with implementation updates.”
In a similar development, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recently demobilised 54 corps members who were illegally mobilised by the University of Calabar. This followed the earlier voiding of 101 certificates, bringing the total number of affected individuals to 178.
An investigation by a Daily Nigerian reporter Umar Audu revealed how he obtained a degree within six weeks, after which returned to Nigeria and embarked on the mandatory one-year NYSC service.
The investigation led to FG placing a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has vowed to purge the Nigerian educational system of fake degree holders.
