Reps panel demands stiffer penalties against certificate racketeering

The Joint Committee of the House of Representatives investigating alleged certificate racketeering in Nigerian higher institutions has called for stiffer penalties for individuals or groups found culpable of certificate forgery or attempts to compromise academic integrity. The lead chairman of the joint committee, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, made the call during the committee’s oversight visit to […]

The Joint Committee of the House of Representatives investigating alleged certificate racketeering in Nigerian higher institutions has called for stiffer penalties for individuals or groups found culpable of certificate forgery or attempts to compromise academic integrity.

The lead chairman of the joint committee, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, made the call during the committee’s oversight visit to the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Caleb University, and the Lagos State University (LASU).

Addressing reporters after the visits, Fulata lamented the growing trend of individuals seeking academic certificates through fraudulent means rather than genuine study and merit.

Fulata, who also chairs the House Committee on University Education, said the investigation was not a witch-hunt but an effort to safeguard the credibility of certificates issued by Nigerian tertiary institutions and restore the country’s academic reputation internationally.

The lawmaker, a former lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, added that while some cases of certificate forgery involve individuals acting alone, the situation becomes more worrisome when institutional staff collude to manipulate academic records.

He urged higher institutions to enhance the security features of their certificates by including the student’s name, photograph, and QR codes to allow easy verification and prevent forgery.

Also speaking, Hon. Fu’ad Kayode Laguda, Chairman of the House Committee on Polytechnics, urged management and staff of tertiary institutions to strengthen internal controls and uphold academic standards to curb certificate fraud.

Responding, the vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, acknowledged that there had been attempts by a few individuals to manipulate student transcripts but said those involved were dismissed and handed over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution.

Similarly, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Engr. Ibrahim Abdul, confirmed that the institution had recorded cases of forged certificates, noting that culprits were promptly apprehended and prosecuted.