NUC prosecutes nine out of 66 illegal varsities

The National Universities Commission has published the name of nine universities in its weekly bulletin, which are being investigated and undergoing court actions along with their proprietors.

The NUC, on January 28, 2019, was mandated by the Federal Government to work with the security agencies to arrest and prosecute the proprietors of 66 unlicensed universities in the country.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had given the directive at a press conference in Abuja.

Adamu put the figure of unlicensed universities at 66, while unlicensed polytechnics, mono-technics and colleges of education stood at 68.

“I direct all regulatory agencies in the public education sector, namely; the National Universities Commission, the National Commission for Colleges of Education and the National Board for Technical Education, to work with relevant security agencies to immediately crack down hard on all illegal tertiary institutions.

“Promoters of such institutions should be apprehended and prosecuted. Let me warn that the days of treating those institutions with kid gloves are over. The phenomenon of illegal providers of tertiary education is more notorious in the university sub-sector than the polytechnic sub-sector.

“To this end, 66 illegal degree mills have been identified by the NUC. It is also crucial to state that while some of these providers are operating illegal institutions based in Nigeria, some are online in unapproved linkages and affiliations with substandard foreign institutions that have no accreditation or recognition of regulatory bodies either in Nigeria or their home countries,” Adamu said.

Our correspondent, however, found out that only nine out of the 66 illegal universities were being prosecuted as of April 8, and were situated in Nasarawa, Enugu, Abia, Edo, Ekiti and Benue states.

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The NUC bulletin partly reads, “In addition to the closure, the following degree mills are currently undergoing further investigations or court actions. The purpose of these actions is to prosecute the proprietors and recover illegal fees and charges on subscribers.

“They are National University of Nigeria, Keffi, Nasarawa State; North Central University, Otukpo, Benue State; Christ Alive Christian Seminary and University, Enugu State; Richmond Open University, Arochukwu, Abia State; West Coast University, Umuahia; Saint Clements University, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State; Volta University College, Aba, Abia State; illegal satellite campuses of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; and Life Leadership University, Benin, Edo State.”