The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across Nigeria in a sweeping crackdown on unlicensed institutions.
This action forms part of a broader effort to eliminate “certificate mills” and restore integrity to Nigeria’s education sector.
Apart from closing these illegal colleges, the NCCE also conducted personnel audits and financial monitoring across all 21 federal colleges of education.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had recently called on the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the NCCE to intensify efforts to root out illegal higher education institutions.
Speaking at the 14th convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria, President Tinubu emphasized that illegal institutions pose serious threats to the credibility of Nigerian certificates both domestically and internationally.
“These illegal colleges are not just defrauding unsuspecting students and parents but also undermining our national development,” Tinubu warned, stressing the urgency of decisive action against such establishments.
The president, represented at the event by the Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Ilyasu, underscored the need for coordination among Nigeria’s key education agencies.
He called for stronger integration between bodies like the National Youth Service Corps, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the NUC, NBTE, and NCCE in order to improve the quality of education and eradicate forgery and unrecognized institutions.
Education experts have long cautioned that unaccredited institutions exploit young Nigerians’ need for affordable education, resulting in a proliferation of graduates ill-prepared for the workforce.
This nationwide crackdown aims to protect students, parents, and the country’s future by ensuring higher education institutions meet required standards.
