The House of Representatives Joint Committee investigating alleged certificate racketeering in Nigeria has pledged to tackle the disturbing trend, warning against playing with education.
The chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, issued the warning in a statement on Saturday.
Fulata said the joint committee has begun visiting relevant organisations to ensure compliance with legal provisions regarding quality education.
He stressed that the oversight visits are not a witch-hunt but follow a House of Representatives resolution mandating an investigation into certificate racketeering, prompted by revelations from an investigative journalist.
He recalled that the journalist, appearing before the probe panel, narrated how he obtained a degree certificate from a tertiary institution in Benin Republic in less than six months, a programme requiring a minimum of four years; was mobilised for National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, despite having served previously; had his passport stamped and received authorisation from the Nigerian Immigration Service as if he had travelled abroad for the study, even though he had not.
Fulata noted that the committee visited the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior, the National Universities Commission, NUC, and NYSC, among others, within the week.
He further noted that while the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, pledged to take steps to curb certificate forgery and racketeering, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, stated that all matters relating to passports and visas would soon be automated.
The lawmaker emphasised, “Any nation that takes education for granted is toiling with the future and generations unborn.”
