The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) said that it has apprehended about 95 graduates with fake certificates from Nigeria and foreign universities and handed them over to security agencies during the last orientation exercise.
NYSC Director General, Shuaibu Ibrahim disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2019 Batch ‘C’ pre-mobilisation workshop, held on Wednesday, 9th October in Minna.
Mr Ibrahim, a Brigadier General, said that 65 out of the arrested graduates were from universities in Nigeria while 30 others were from other West African universities.
“Regarding fraudulent certificates, we have arrested 65 fake students from universities in Nigeria and from other West African universities, we have arrested about 30. We have handed them over to the police for prosecution.”
The NYSC boss revealed that some tertiary institutions in Nigeria still engage in the sale of Degree and HND certificates and statements of result to unqualified persons in a bid to smuggle them into NYSC mobilisation.
He also lamented that this attempt is threatening the credibility of the NYSC mobilisation process, adding that the action has grave implications for the socio-economic development of the country.
“It is worrisome to note that some unscrupulous persons still indulge in the sale of Degree and HND Certificates and Statements of Result to unqualified persons.”
It has also been observed that names of unqualified persons are included in the Senate/Academic Board – approved list uploaded on the NYSC registration portal by some corps- producing institutions.
“It is quite unfortunate that some corps-producing institutions are still in the habit of uploading part- time and overaged graduates for mobilization. This is one of the challenges we are out to tackle headlong, this attempt in some quarters to threaten the credibility of the process.
“Acts such as presentation of fake academic credentials and attempts to smuggle names of unqualified persons into the mobilisation lists submitted by some corps- producing institutions are condemnable and will continue to face stiff resistance from the scheme.”
He then warned that the agency will not hesitate to blacklist and publicly denounce tertiary institution that continue to include names of unqualified persons in their uploaded data.
“It is known fact that one can only print out data inputted into the computer, hence the claim of ignorance of how strange names entered a Senate/Academic Board -approved list is unfounded.Where such infraction occurs, it is certain that the login details of the Students’ Affairs Officers (SAO) or the Registrar have been compromised.
“I wish to use this medium to remind Registrars and SAOs that they are responsible for the protection of their login details and will be held accountable for any infraction in the performance of their duties relating to the mobilisation process.”
In a related development, EduCeleb.com reported that the National Universities Commission (NUC) said it would not recognise degrees obtained in less than three years of study.
NUC Executive Secretary, Abubakar Rasheed also noted that some individuals were establishing mushroom universities in foreign countries to defraud Nigerians as degree awards from such schools were fake.
