Following recent cases of fake certifications detected by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB), examination boards in Kenya and Uganda now request verification of academic records presented by Nigerian candidates seeking admission into their tertiary institutions.
This development was revealed in JAMB’s ‘Registrar’s Report on 2023 Admission & 2024 UTME Policy Meeting,’ obtained by newsmen on Wednesday. JAMB emphasized the importance of safeguarding Nigeria’s tertiary institutions from international disrepute, stating it would not falsify any student records.
The increased scrutiny comes after the Nigerian Federal Government suspended the verification of degree certificates from several countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Benin Republic, and Togo, due to allegations of certificate racketeering. This decision followed an investigation by a journalist who obtained a degree in the Benin Republic within six weeks.
The Federal Government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to combat fake degree racketeering. JAMB has also threatened to sanction higher institutions that fail to submit lists of students admitted through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) immediately after matriculation.
Institutions are required to regularly submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education within three months after the ceremonies. JAMB has warned that failure to comply with this directive will result in severe consequences, and it will not tolerate undisclosed admissions in the future.
The recent crackdown on fake credentials also led to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) demobilizing 54 corps members illegally mobilized by the University of Calabar, bringing the total number of voided certificates to 178.
In response to these issues, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has vowed to eliminate holders of fake degrees from Nigeria’s educational system.
