Nigerian Govt Threatens to Sanction Institutions over Admission Procedure

The Federal Government has threatened to sanction higher institutions that failed to submit lists of admitted students immediately after matriculation.

This directive was communicated in a memo issued by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Sunday.

According to JAMB’s Public Communications Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the move was part of efforts to combat fake degree racketeering in the country.

Following the recommendation of a committee set up by the federal government, institutions are now required to submit their matriculation lists to the Federal Ministry of Education within three months of matriculation ceremonies through JAMB’s dedicated channel.

The memo emphasizes that institutions, not candidates are responsible for disclosing admissions outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

The government warned that failure to comply with the directive by the August 31 deadline would result in severe consequences.

It read: “The Board has observed a large number of candidates thronging its offices to resolve issues related to the disclosure of candidates admitted outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) from 2017 to date.

“While we appreciate the enthusiasm, we must correct the misconception that the focus is on candidates’ actions. The true emphasis lies with the institutions, which must disclose all candidates admitted outside CAPS before the August 31st, 2024 deadline.

“This directive requires immediate attention and compliance. We urge institutions to carefully review our initial letter and ensure full compliance, as failure to disclose will result in severe consequences. Candidates are also reminded not to accept admissions outside CAPS.

“The Board reiterate that candidates not disclosed by institutions would not be entertained. The Board will not tolerate any condonement of undisclosed admissions moving forward.”

This development follows the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling set up to probe the activities of certificate racketeers after an investigative report exposed fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.

The Federal Government is cracking down on admissions irregularities and fake degree racketeering, and higher institutions are expected to comply with this new directive to avoid sanctions.