The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) in Nigeria has discovered 3,000 fake graduates holding illegal certificates.
These individuals were found to have never attended university.
The Board’s Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this during a meeting with the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN).
He condemned the practice of illegal admissions by some institutions, calling it an embarrassment and disservice to the nation.
“Some ‘graduates’ had never entered the four walls of a university owing to the endemic corruption in the system but the board had documented over 3,000 of such cases.
“Illegal admission of candidates into tertiary institutions in the country is an embarrassment and a disservice to the nation,” the report, published in the Board’s bulletin read in part.
Oloyede urged COPSUN to address underhand admissions that damage the education system and the country’s reputation.
This revelation follows the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education’s December 2023 order for JAMB to list institutions conducting irregular admissions.
JAMB had previously warned candidates against accepting admissions without full academic participation.
In a statement titled “Cessation of illegal/irregular admission,” JAMB emphasised that all admissions for various degrees and diplomas must be processed through its Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
“For any admission into tertiary institutions, it has to be done through CAPS which is on the JAMB portal.
“Any admission whatsoever that is outside the CAPS irrespective of the institution is illegal. And I think this point is very important,” Oloyede had said through his representative, Assistant Director of JAMB Ganiyu Yahaya, during the 3rd matriculation ceremony of the Thomas Adewumi University (TAU) Oko, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.