The Joint House of Representatives Committee investigating alleged certificate racketeering has invited vice-chancellors of some private universities to make presentations on alleged sharp practices in the system.
Chairman of the committee, Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa), announced the invitation in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
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Mr Fulata listed the affected institutions to include Igbinedion University, Edo State; Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State; and Al-Hikma University, Ilorin, Kwara State
Others are Trinity University, Ogun; Wesley University, Ondo; Wigwe University, Isiokpo, Rivers; Elrazi Medical University, Kano State; Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun; and Venite University, Iloro, Ekiti.
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Caleb University, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Obong University, Akwa-Ibom; and University of Mkar, Mkar, Gboko, Benue are also expected to appear before the panel.
Mr Fulata said the invitation had become necessary given the allegations that some private universities had become “certificate mills.”
According to him, the vice-chancellors are expected to appear for the investigative public hearing on 2 June.
The lawmaker said the House had mandated the committee to conduct investigations into alleged certificate racketeering following the testimony of an investigative journalist, Umar Audu.
Mr Audu, he said, had claimed that he got a degree certificate from a university in the Benin Republic within six months instead of four years and that he was also mobilised for youth service even when he had earlier served in 2019.
The lawmaker said that illicitly acquiring degree certificates was not only illegal but very dangerous to the well-being of citizens.
While describing such practices as a threat to the future and the socio-economic development of the country, he said the committee would do whatever within its power to clean the universities of sharp practices
Mr Fulata said that some heads of government agencies, including Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs as well as Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) had appeared before the committee and made their submissions.
Previous probe
In 2023, the House constituted a committee to investigate alleged job racketeering in government parastatals but, in the process, got mired in allegations of corruption.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that along the line, the committee began to extort money from the heads of the federal ministries, departments and agencies, including those of tertiary institutions across the country.
The panel, led by Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), allegedly intimidated the head of the agencies into paying huge bribes to avoid being disgraced in public and indicted in a report to be issued after the investigation.
The House set up the committee following a motion brought by the member representing the Obokun/Oriade federal constituency of Osun State, Oluwole Oke, urging it to probe the monumental graft.
In the same year, the Senate launched an investigation into an allegation of admission racketeering against the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
(NAN)
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