Certificate Forgery: Degree's Mills in Nigeria

Certificate Forgery: Degree’s Mills in Nigeria by Dr Kenny Odugbemi

Nigeria thrive on the superficiality of qualifications across demographics, sectors where a lot of people forge certificates of accredited institutions for appointment into almost all available positions in a both private and public establishment

There exists an epidemic of fake certifications leading to an upsurge of fake certificates in the Nigerian system

The degree mill has forever been dysfunctional in the quality of certificates present either for elective positions as we had an upsurge in the 2023 elections, which created a National dilemma given Nigeria’s bad international reputation,
Secondly across the National assembly for various positions
Thirdly across critical positions in Civil service inclusive of Ministries, parastatals and agencies
Fourth across private establishments turning most organizations, moribund, endemic corruption, financial recklessness, misappropriation and bad implementation of policies, it is a standard norm you can not give what you do not have competence, capacity, and character form major impediments in our pool of human building capacity where intelligentsia are replaced with mediocre that why our economy remains in comatose and quagmire

Degree mills through fake certificate has gone beyond Nigeria to African. Subregion and Europe at large as many people bear titles they do not deserve because of quota system and undue who is who find themselves is high place destroying value system with massive looting since there is no robust digital tracking ,our Nation has long been duped on large scale

Situation report

We have an unapproved degree awarding institution with no location, and contact of the right people with the right competence

Need of digitization of our Ivory Tower certificates and records for ease of verification in now sacrosanct

Enforcement support to clamp down more on degree mills nationwide with Universities global network

NUC, ICPC, Security agencies and intelligence unit now need to effectively synergize to save the complete collapse of Nigeria’s Education as poorly educated citizenship destroy a Nation, as of now Nigeria is on the trajectory of going into oblivion where nuisance continues to occupy exalted at all spheres

In the past ICPC closed down 67 of such degrees across the Country

The federal government has now expressed a strong desire to sanction following by suspension of accredited action and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic, Togo and further extension of this suspension of certificates to other institutions cutting across this African subregion which includes Uganda, Kenya, Niger-Republic based on the report of an undercover journalist with detailed information on how he acquired a degree from Universities in Benin Republic under two months and got deployed to serve through National Youth Services and cooperation of Ministry of Education being clearance institution for a foreign certificate with their well-defined criteria

Most students who patronize these institutions will be regarded as criminals likely to be convicted in a court of competent jurisdiction

Security agents now need to pursue these fake certificates from foreign countries that are used to secure job opportunities and political appointment and through electives in Executive and legislative cadres

There should be no sympathy for students whether now or before who had patronise such Universities, if found wanting must be arrested and all must be removed and jailed

Fy 2022, eight institutions in Nigeria were involved with fake degrees fully uncovered in Nigeria

In most of these institutions, students spend 6weeks for 4years course this is not limited to Nigeria, it extends to Overseas institutions

The Journalist was posted after 6weeks without leaving Nigeria got a certificate, enrolled and posted by NYSC with the active collaboration of the Ministry of Education

The unusual response from the Ministry of Education who are to authenticate documents for offshore degrees is now a National calamity and monumental shame a bad reputation for Nigeria in the global education circle

Way forward

NUC, ICPC, Security agencies, the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour must Collaborate to unravel the perennial issues

We need urgently Presidential Education Review Committee with a tenor between (3-6) months because of extensive travel in Nigeria, the African subregions, and other Continents to engage various institutions already benchmarked and their regulatory agencies to ensure alignment, synergy and efficient and effective collaboration to achieve global standard

The Presidential Education Review Committee must be Retired justices, Permanent Secretary of Education, ICPC, EFCC, NUC and representative of the Minister of Education

Term of reference

Review operation for recognition of accreditation of certificates for offshore degrees

Ensure inter-agency collaboration for such degree to streamline minimum requirements to be obtained in comparison to what is obtainable in offshore schedule

Review NUC Prescription for eligibility being in alignment as stated above

Set up criteria for the institution across the global education network

Facilitate global digital network for effective verification in terms of access, availability and reliability

Facilitate Country State of emergency background checks across the three tiers of government especially those with foreign degrees, our MDAs, parastatals and agencies

Conclusion
We need to curb on ongoing litany of insanity as Nigeria continue to slide into a state of quagmire and comatose