The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, has pledged to identify and eliminate Nigerians with fake certificates. Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, made this commitment while receiving the report of the inter-ministerial committee on degree mills in Abuja.

The government initiated the committee following an investigative report by the Daily Nigerian newspaper, which exposed the activities of over 100 private universities and some foreign universities in Benin Republic, Togo, and other countries.

Expressing concern over the findings, Mamman emphasized the need to cleanse the education sector of fraudulent practices. He vowed to collaborate with relevant agencies to uphold integrity in the system and weed out individuals with counterfeit qualifications.

Mamman highlighted instances where individuals with inferior grades from Nigerian institutions presented themselves with top honors from foreign universities, stressing the ministry’s determination to restore standards.

The Chairman of the Inter-ministerial Committee, Amin, presented the report, lamenting the poor standards of education in the identified institutions. He advocated for digitalization and automation of educational systems to enhance monitoring and ensure accountability.

Amin called for an increase in the number of universities in Nigeria to cater to the demand for higher education and discourage Nigerians from seeking qualifications abroad, where they might fall victim to degree mills.

He urged the National Universities Commission to prioritize the accreditation of institutions offering part-time or sandwich programs to avoid a recurrence of past accreditation issues.

In conclusion, Amin emphasized the need for the Ministry of Education to scrutinize certificates from identified institutions and take appropriate action against individuals found with fake credentials.

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