The Federal Government has mandated higher institutions across Nigeria to submit matriculation lists of admitted students immediately after matriculation, as part of a crackdown on fake degree racketeering in the country.
This directive was outlined in a memo titled “Clarification on Disclosure of Admitted Candidates Outside CAPS (2017-Date),” obtained by newsmen.
According to the memo, universities are required to “regularly submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education not later than three months after matriculation ceremonies.” The lists must be submitted through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) dedicated channel.
Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, emphasized, “This directive requires immediate attention and compliance. We urge institutions to carefully review our initial letter and ensure full compliance, as failure to disclose will result in severe consequences. The Board will not tolerate any condonement of undisclosed admissions moving forward.”
This directive follows the recent demobilization of 54 fake corps members by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were illegally mobilized by the University of Calabar. The crackdown is part of a broader effort initiated by the Federal Government, following an investigative report by Daily Nigerian that exposed the operations of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.
In response to the report, the Federal Government set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling. In a memo addressed to JAMB on July 15, 2024, the Ministry of Education highlighted, “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 memo continued, “The committee has submitted its report, and the Honourable Minister of Education has approved its recommendations for implementation.”
Among the recommendations is the enforcement of the mandatory requirement for all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to conduct their admissions processes exclusively through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) under JAMB. Additionally, institutions are now required to “submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education not later than three months after matriculation ceremonies.”
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has vowed to eliminate fake degrees from Nigeria’s educational system. “We are committed to flushing out holders of fake degrees from our institutions. This is just the beginning,” he stated.
This crackdown marks a significant effort to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s education system, ensuring that only genuine degrees are recognized and preventing the proliferation of fake graduates.
