The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced this on Tuesday, emphasizing the committee’s role in assessing the adherence of these institutions to prescribed facilities, management structures, and funding adequacy, among other criteria.

Additionally, the inter-ministerial committee will investigate allegations of degree certificate racketeering within both foreign and local private universities in Nigeria.

This development was revealed during the inauguration of the committee on degree mills in the country.

The committee’s functions include reviewing the role of any Ministry, Department, or Agency (MDA) officials in facilitating the recognition and procurement of fake certificates, examining existing policies and procedures related to accreditation and certification, and evaluating the rules and procedures for the recognition and accreditation of foreign universities and programs by the Federal Ministry of Education.

Furthermore, the committee will investigate the existence of unapproved foreign institutions (Degree Mills) in Nigeria, review and recommend improvements to prevent reoccurrence and sanction erring officials, and assess the rules, procedures, and processes for granting provisional licenses to new universities by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

In light of recent concerns about degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo, the committee’s formation aligns with the Nigerian government’s decision to ban the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from these countries.

The investigative report by a journalist exposed illegal activities, leading to the suspension of operations for 18 foreign-owned universities out of 58 in Nigeria.

The committee aims to strengthen the system of recognition, accreditation, and quality assurance of degrees in Nigeria and will extend its scrutiny to institutions in other African countries.