Fake Certificates: NUC Partners British High Commission

The National Universities Commission (NUC) on Wednesday expressed readiness to partner with the British High Commission (BHC) to check fake certificates.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie, said this when a two-man delegation from the high Commission visited him in Abuja.

Okojie, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Chris Maiyaki, said the Commission had zero-tolerance for “degree mills’’ which are a major challenge of the Nigerian university system.

He said that the Commission, with the help of security operatives, was shutting down illegal outfits.

“NUC is partnering with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to ensure that universities in the country do not exceed their carrying capacity.

“That is why graduates from unapproved programmes are not being mobilized for the NYSC scheme,” he said.

Okojie said that inadequate access was also a major challenge to the system as only about 250,000 candidates, out of one million seeking admission annually, were admitted.

He said that the NUC was expanding access with the establishment and licensing of more universities in the country.

NUC Verification Officer, Mrs. Esther Samuel, lamented the length of time it took any Nigerian universities to issue original certificates.

“Statement of result, which should be temporary documents, were almost replacing the original certificates,” she said.

Mr Gurdeep Purewal, Immigration Liaison Officer in Commission, said the visit was to collaborate with NUC to combat the influx of fake graduates intending to further their studies in the UK.

Purewal, who led the delegation, said the visit was to stem the issuance of students’ visas to unqualified applicants.

He said that the Commission had set mechanism in place that would enable it to cancel visas that were issued to fraudulent and undeserving persons. (NAN)