The Federal Government has instructed all higher education institutions in Nigeria to submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education within three months of matriculation ceremonies.
The lists must be submitted through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s designated platform, as specified by the government.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to tackle the issue of fake degree mills, following recommendations made by an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee established by the Federal Government in March.
The committee was set up to investigate the activities of certificate racketeers, prompted by an exposé by Daily Nigerian that revealed the existence of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.
An investigative report by Daily Nigerian’s Umar Audu revealed the shocking ease with which he obtained a degree in just six weeks, and even went on to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme in Nigeria.
The exposé highlighted the illicit activities of certain West African tertiary institutions, prompting the Nigerian government to ban the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
Following the committee’s report, Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman vowed to eliminate holders of fake degrees from both Nigerian and foreign universities from the system.
In a memorandum dated July 15, 2024, sent to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the Ministry of Education stated “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.”
