The House of Representatives Joint Committee has summoned key ministers and stakeholders for an investigative public hearing over the growing concern of certificate racketeering involving some Nigerians, which has raised national alarm.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, confirmed that the Ministers of Education, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Youth Development, and the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are among those invited to appear before the panel on Monday, May 19, 2025.
The investigation follows a shocking undercover report by a journalist who obtained a degree from a Cotonou-based university within weeks and participated in the NYSC scheme shortly after. Fulata praised the journalist’s work as an act of patriotism that has exposed a deeply troubling trend in Nigeria’s education system.
“This unfortunate development is not only illegal but also poses a serious threat to our national integrity, future, and socio-economic development,” Fulata stated.
Other bodies invited include the National Universities Commission (NUC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Nigerian Immigration Service, the Committee of Vice Chancellors, and Penlight Media Ltd — the outlet behind the exposé. Also expected are representatives of the Ministry of Higher and Science Education of the Republic of Benin and the Beninese Embassy in Abuja.
The Committee warned that any agency or institution that fails to honour the invitation will be deemed complicit in fostering corruption and undermining the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.
Fulata also revealed that many institutions have yet to respond to the Committee’s request for submissions:
52 Federal Universities
61 State Universities
93 Private Universities
“The House will not stand idly while fraudulent academic qualifications become a booming business,” Fulata warned. “We will pursue this matter to ensure full accountability and restoration of standards in our education system.”
The hearing is part of a broader parliamentary move to restore credibility to Nigeria’s academic and professional certification processes.
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