The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, declared on Tuesday that security agencies would pursue individuals holding fake university degrees in Nigeria.
Mamman emphasized that these individuals would be pursued once the committee established by the Federal Government to probe the activities of certificate fraudsters submits its findings.
The Federal Government initiated an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Fraud to investigate the operations of diploma mills following an exposé by Daily Nigerian.
The report uncovered the operations of degree mills in Benin Republic, where individuals obtained degrees within six weeks.
This led to the Nigerian government banning the accreditation and assessment of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo. The committee’s mandate also extends to examining Nigerian private universities established in the last 15 years.
During the first quarterly citizens’ engagement in Abuja, Mamman affirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the issue. He stated, “Once the report is submitted, I can assure you that individuals with fake certificates will be apprehended. They will be tracked by security agencies.”
Dr. Tanko Sununu, the Minister of State for Education, highlighted the importance of the quarterly citizenship engagement.
He emphasized its role in creating awareness, fostering mutual understanding with stakeholders and citizens, building public trust, and enhancing transparency and accountability in the education sector.
Sununu also stressed the engagement’s goal of improving efficiency and streamlining government operations by identifying and addressing bottlenecks.
