House of Representatives in session
In a firm response to the growing menace of certificate forgery in Nigerian higher institutions, a Joint Committee of the House of Representatives has demanded more severe penalties for those involved in such fraudulent practices.
This call was made by the committee chairman, Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC–Jigawa), following an oversight visit to several Lagos-based institutions, including the University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Yaba College of Technology, and Caleb University.
Speaking after the visit, Fulata stressed the need for accomplices—within or outside the institutions—to face the same level of punishment as the primary offenders.
“In the past, students studied diligently and earned their degrees through hard work and commitment,” Fulata noted. “Today, it’s disheartening that many no longer value the process. Instead, they seek shortcuts and fraudulent means to obtain certificates.”
He added that the committee’s probe was prompted by revelations from an investigative journalist, which exposed a network of certificate racketeering across some academic institutions.
“Some of us went through the grind—studied hard, passed our exams, and earned our degrees the right way,” he said. “We cannot sit idle and allow fraudsters to tarnish the reputation of our educational system.”
Lamenting the decay in academic integrity, Fulata said it’s alarming to see individuals parading degree certificates and even proceeding to the NYSC, yet unable to correctly spell their own names, let alone defend their qualifications.
He emphasized that while individual fraudsters are culpable, the situation becomes far more dangerous when staff and administrators within the system aid and abet such crimes.
Fulata urged university authorities and other tertiary institutions to adopt enhanced security features on academic certificates to make verification easier and deter forgery.
The investigation continues as the House committee works toward policy recommendations aimed at restoring the credibility of Nigeria’s educational institutions.
