The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has revealed it discovered 3,000 individuals posing as graduates who never attended a university.
This announcement was made by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a meeting with the leadership of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities. The details were published in the board’s bulletin.
Prof. Oloyede expressed concern over the pervasive issue of illegal admissions carried out by some institutions, describing it as a significant embarrassment and disservice to the nation.
He pointed out that these fraudulent activities have allowed individuals to falsely claim graduate status without any legitimate academic experience.
“Some ‘graduates’ had never entered the four walls of a university owing to the endemic corruption in the system, but the board had documented over 3,000 of such cases,” the bulletin stated.
The issue of illegal admissions has long been a priority for JAMB. In December 2023, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education demanded that JAMB present a list of tertiary institutions involved in irregular and illegal admissions.
The examination body had earlier warned candidates to avoid accepting admissions from institutions that do not adhere to proper academic procedures.
In a statement titled “Cessation of illegal/irregular admission,” JAMB reiterated that all applications for admissions to first degree, national diploma, national innovation diploma, and the Nigeria certificate in education must be processed exclusively through JAMB.
This applies to all forms of study, including full-time, distance learning, part-time, outreach, and sandwich programs.
