Ayomide Awe
The Federal Government has dismissed viral reports claiming that the National Universities Commission identified 2,000 universities and uncovered about 100 fake professors in Nigeria, describing the allegations as recycled misinformation.
The Ministry of Education said the NUC had neither announced the existence of 2,000 universities in the country nor published, endorsed or authenticated the list of individuals being circulated on social media as fake professors.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the ministry, the claims about the alleged fake professors were a distortion of a media report published on December 3, 2019, concerning an exercise by the NUC to verify the directory of full professors in Nigerian universities.
It stressed that the original report did not contain the names currently being circulated online, adding that the commission had since disowned the purported list.
The ministry expressed concern over the continued circulation of the claims, warning that they could undermine public confidence in the country’s university system and discredit ongoing efforts to strengthen the education sector.
It described the reports as misleading and intended to portray Nigeria’s university system negatively.
The ministry consequently urged members of the public, media organisations and social media users to disregard the claims and verify information about recognised universities and academic standards through the official channels of the NUC.
It also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting the commission in safeguarding academic integrity, strengthening quality assurance and protecting the credibility and international reputation of Nigeria’s university education system.
The clarification comes amid growing public concerns over the credibility of academic qualifications and standards in the country’s higher education sector.
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