Federal Government Launches Investigation into 107 Private Universities

The Federal Government has announced its intent to conduct a comprehensive investigation into private universities established within the last 15 years. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealed this during the inauguration of an investigative panel focusing on fake degrees and the activities of degree mills in Nigeria. The probe aims to assess the facilities, management structure, funding, and overall compliance of these institutions.

Nigeria currently hosts a total of 147 private universities, with 107 of them established in the last 15 years. Notable among these are Adeleke University, Landmark University, Elizade University, and Baze University. The investigative panel, part of an inter-ministerial committee, will scrutinize the universities' adherence to prescribed facilities, management structures, and program funding.

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The Terms of Reference for the panel include reviewing accreditation procedures by the National Universities Commission (NUC), examining the role of government agencies and officials in recognizing and procuring fake certificates, assessing recognition and accreditation processes for foreign universities, and identifying unapproved foreign institutions.

The investigative initiative follows heightened concerns about the legitimacy of degrees and activities of degree mills, triggered by an investigative report exposing illegalities in some West African countries' tertiary institutions. The government subsequently placed a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo. This move is expected to affect over 10,900 Nigerian students studying in these countries.