THE National Universities Commission (NUC) has said there is no fresh case of illegal universities currently operating in Nigeria as people were made to believe in recent media report.
Director, Information and Public Relations of the commission, Mr Ibrahim Yakassai, who briefed newsmen in Abuja, on Monday, said the list of 57 illegal universities bandied in recent media reports should not be misconstrued as fresh clampdown on illegal degree mills.
He said the list of the blacklisted universities is published every week in the commission’s Monday bulletin since about five years ago, just to keep Nigerians informed and ensure that nobody woke up one day to use any of those names to defraud unsuspecting admission seekers.
He added that the war on illegal universities springing in the country had been won long time ago.
Yakassai said the commission was miffed that a section of the media deliberately distort the information in the bulletin and presented the list of the 57 illegal universities as a new thing.
In the bulletin, Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, had clearly warned that certificates obtained from the illegal institutions would not be recognition for the purpose of employment, further studies and participation in the National Youth Service Corps.
But NUC spokesman said: “the list of illegal universities that was published as new is not new. The list has been in existence for over four, five years now. We did not just start to pursue illegal universities now. We have been doing that job in the last nine years.
“You are all living witnesses to the fact that we invited the media severally in the past to go with us to close down some of the illegal universities. I want to emphasise that there is no illegal universities operating in this country as of now that we know.
“The list that was bandied that NUC is just waking up to identify 57 illegal universities has been there. What we do is that any time we close down any illegal degree mill, we keep publishing the name in the bulletin until such a name is thoroughly stigmatised,” he said.
He said the list of the blacklisted universities is published every week in the commission’s Monday bulletin since about five years ago, just to keep Nigerians informed and ensure that nobody woke up one day to use any of those names to defraud unsuspecting admission seekers.
He added that the war on illegal universities springing in the country had been won long time ago.
Yakassai said the commission was miffed that a section of the media deliberately distort the information in the bulletin and presented the list of the 57 illegal universities as a new thing.
In the bulletin, Executive Secretary of NUC, Professor Julius Okojie, had clearly warned that certificates obtained from the illegal institutions would not be recognition for the purpose of employment, further studies and participation in the National Youth Service Corps.
But NUC spokesman said: “the list of illegal universities that was published as new is not new. The list has been in existence for over four, five years now. We did not just start to pursue illegal universities now. We have been doing that job in the last nine years.
“You are all living witnesses to the fact that we invited the media severally in the past to go with us to close down some of the illegal universities. I want to emphasise that there is no illegal universities operating in this country as of now that we know.
“The list that was bandied that NUC is just waking up to identify 57 illegal universities has been there. What we do is that any time we close down any illegal degree mill, we keep publishing the name in the bulletin until such a name is thoroughly stigmatised,” he said.
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