The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has commended the Federal Government for its timely and decisive decision to suspend the accreditation of degrees from the Republic of Benin and Togo due to widespread irregularities and fraudulent practices.
Professor Ishaq Akintola, the Executive Director of MURIC, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, expressed the organisation's strong support for the government's action.
He cited the recent undercover investigation by Umar Audu of the Daily Nigeria newspaper as a stark illustration of the problem. Audu's report revealed that he obtained a degree from one of these universities within six weeks and even participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) with the fraudulent certificate.
"MURIC lauds FG for banning those fraudulent certificates. The holders of such fake credentials pose a grave danger to the lives of Nigerians and the quality of public service too," he said. "We charge the ministries of education at both federal and state levels to be wary of holders of such certificates. Those found to have been employed with them should be shown the way out. Furthermore, the security agencies should fish out those behind the fraudulent admissions within Nigeria. Those are agents of the fake tertiary institutions in faraway Benin and Togo. They should be made to face the full wrath of the law."
He further called on security agencies to investigate and apprehend those involved in facilitating these fraudulent admissions within Nigeria, acting as agents for these illegitimate institutions abroad. "They must face the full consequences of their actions," he emphasised.
Professor Akintola also demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Federal Ministry of Education's clearance letter for the Ecole Supérieure de Gestion et de Technologies (ESGT), which mistakenly confirmed its accreditation. This error enabled NYSC to accept 51 fake graduates from the institution for national service.
"We demand an investigation into circumstances surrounding the clearance letter issued by the Federal Ministry of Education which confirmed that the university (ESGT) is on the ministry's list of accredited institutions. It was this letter which enabled NYSC to accept 51 fake graduates to serve in the scheme. On its own part, NYSC authorities must take necessary action on the 51 fake corpers from ESGT who are serving illegally. They must be flushed out," he added.
He also guided those who may have unknowingly obtained such fraudulent certificates.
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Professor Akintola concluded by reiterating the importance of genuine education and highlighting the dangers of false qualifications
He said, "We also advise gullible but innocent Nigerians who have obtained the certificates to quickly set the machinery in motion to correct the anomaly. They should upgrade themselves by seeking authentic university admission either within or outside the country.
"Education may be the key to technological breakthrough and the concomitant industrial progress, but half-baked education and fake certificates are deadly dynamites in the system which is capable of destroying everything that may have been achieved."
Finally, he commended the courage and dedication of the investigative journalist, Umar Audu, for exposing this educational fraud. "He put himself at risk for the sake of his country and his actions deserve the utmost respect and emulation by his colleagues in the media," Professor Akintola concluded.
