The House of Representatives Joint Committee has summoned the Honourable Ministers of Education, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Youth Development, as well as the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), over alarming reports of certificate racketeering involving some Nigerians.
The invitation is for an investigative public hearing scheduled for Monday, 19th May 2025.
Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, made this known in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja. He expressed grave concern over the growing trend of certificate fraud, emphasizing the determination of the National Assembly to address the menace head-on.
According to Fulata, letters have already been dispatched to all relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), as well as private organizations involved in the educational sector. However, this public statement is intended as a final reminder. He warned that any invited institution or official that fails to appear would be seen as complicit in perpetuating corruption and fraudulent academic practices in the country.
Among those invited are the Committee of Vice Chancellors, National Universities Commission (NUC), Penlight Media Ltd, and the Ministry of Higher and Science Education, Republic of Benin, through its embassy in Abuja.
The committee’s action follows the investigative work of a patriotic journalist who went undercover to expose the fast-growing certificate racketeering network. The journalist reportedly obtained a degree from a university in Cotonou, Benin Republic, within weeks and subsequently participated in the NYSC scheme — all in a disturbingly short timeframe.
Describing the revelations as “alarming,” Fulata decried the danger of such illegality to Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
“This unfortunate development in the education system is indeed alarming. While most Nigerians follow proper procedures to acquire academic qualifications, others cut corners and use fraudulent means to obtain certificates, gain employment, and work in sensitive sectors. This act is not only illegal but dangerous to our collective well-being,” he stated.
He further disclosed that 52 federal universities, 61 state universities, and 93 private universities have yet to make their submissions to the Committee. Similarly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the Nigerian Immigration Service are yet to respond.
The House reaffirmed its commitment to sanitizing the education sector and ensuring that merit, integrity, and transparency are upheld across all levels.
