FG should probe fake varsity degrees quickly

THE decision of the Federal Government to invite memoranda from the public as part of its probe of private universities established in the past 15 years to uncover certificate racketeering is a welcome development. But the probe must be holistic and far-reaching if Nigeria must sanitise its education sector.

An investigative report by a Daily Nigerian journalist, Umar Audu, who uncovered certificate racketeering involving so-called universities in neighbouring Benin Republic and Togo, is the premise for the probe. Audu revealed that he received his certificate from a Cotonou-based University like a pizza within six weeks!

The undercover reporter got the certificate and transcript of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Benin Republic, at an affordable rate. This exposed a booming certificate racketeering syndicate in neighbouring Benin Republic and Togo that specialises in selling university degrees to willing buyers from Nigeria. He even proceeded to embark on the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme with a six-week degree programme.

In response, the Federal Government instantly announced the suspension of the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from both countries and said it would launch a probe into private universities established in the last 15 years at home.

The Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling set up by the government was tasked with examining “whether or not private universities established in the last 15 years have in place prescribed facilities, appropriate management structure, adequate funding of programmes, requisite state, and nature of the staff – full-time, contract, adjunct, visiting and other types” without prejudice to the periodic accreditation of the National Universities Commission.

This is not the first time that fraudulent academic records and certificates have been discovered, even at very high levels. A former director-general of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Lagos, was demoted and faced prosecution for allegedly claiming to have bagged a doctorate from the Universited’Abomey-Calavi, Benin Republic, over 18 years before he was appointed as the chief executive of the body.

He claimed to have bagged a doctorate in 2001 from the Benin Republic university but could only produce an attestation document for the PhD. The document was reportedly signed by his supervisor, contrary to the procedure in that country, in which the education ministry usually issues the certificate of graduation. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission subsequently arraigned the official.

Similarly, a senior lecturer in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences, Azikiwe University, Awka, was dismissed for allegedly presenting fraudulent academic records as he claimed to have a master’s degree and PhD from UNIZIK, which were found to be false.

What these and similar incidents show is that the issue of obtaining and using fake certificates and academic records to gain employment and earn promotion is deep-rooted. The craze for degrees at all costs has pushed many Nigerians into mushroom education institutions in other countries, with some of those schools operating from a room apartment without the requisite faculties.

The delay in completing the probe instituted by the Federal Government into the journalist’s certificate saga is taking too long. This affects the integrity of Nigeria’s education system. Crucially, those government organisations and others that are meant to oversee only the private universities must extend their scrutiny to the public institutions as well. Those in charge must be thorough in their work, and institutions and individuals found culpable must be made to face the full wrath of the law.

There must be thorough checks on certificates presented from institutions abroad. Employers must take steps to verify the credentials of their new recruits and even old employees, while the government and educational institutions must insist on transcripts of academic records, just as it is done in the United States of America and Canada.