The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to higher institutions across Nigeria, threatening to impose sanctions on those that fail to submit the lists of admitted students immediately after matriculation.
This directive was communicated in a memo titled “Clarification on Disclosure of Admitted Candidates Outside CAPS (2017-Date)” issued by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and obtained by Channels Television.
According to JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, this initiative is part of the recommendations from a committee established by the Federal Government to combat the growing issue of fake degree racketeering in the country.
The memo mandates those institutions “regularly submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education no later than three months after matriculation ceremonies.” These submissions are to be made through JAMB’s dedicated channel.
JAMB has observed a significant number of candidates approaching its offices to address issues related to undisclosed admissions made outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) from 2017 to the present. While candidates’ concerns are noted, the memo stresses that the onus lies on institutions to disclose all admissions made outside CAPS by the deadline of August 31st, 2024. Failure to comply will result in severe consequences, with undisclosed admissions no longer being entertained by the Board.
This directive follows the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling, which was tasked with probing the activities of certificate racketeers.
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The committee was set up in response to an investigative report by Daily Nigerian, which exposed fake degree operations in the Benin Republic.
The Federal Government has since banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from both the Benin Republic and Togo.
In a related development, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) recently demobilized 54 corps members who were illegally mobilized by the University of Calabar.
This action follows the voiding of 101 certificates by the NYSC, bringing the total to 178. The crackdown on fake degrees is part of the Ministry of Education’s broader effort to cleanse the Nigerian educational system, with the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, vowing to root out holders of fraudulent qualifications.