The Federal Government requires all higher education 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 list, the ministry stated, must be submitted “through the dedicated channel of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.”
The plan is one of the recommendations provided by the Federal Government-appointed committee to combat fake degree mills and racketeers in the country.
In March, the Federal Government established an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to investigate the operations of certificate racketeers in response to an investigative report that uncovered the activities of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.
Umar Audu, a Daily Nigerian reporter, explained how he earned a degree in six weeks and then went on to serve in Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps.
The investigative report which highlighted illegalities committed by some tertiary institutions in West African countries, prompted the Nigerian government to prohibit 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 holders of fake degrees from Nigerian and foreign universities would be removed from the system.
In a memo addressed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board 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.”