The Federal Government has dismissed a viral social media report claiming that Nigeria has about 2,000 fake universities and 100 individuals posing as professors.
The government said the National Universities Commission (NUC) never released any findings supporting the claims, describing the circulating information as fabricated and misleading.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, clarified the issue in a statement released on Saturday through the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
Alausa explained that the controversy surrounding the alleged fake professors was traced to an old report published in December 2019 about the NUC’s efforts to authenticate the list of full professors working in Nigerian universities.
He said the exercise had been misrepresented, adding that the original publication did not identify the individuals whose names are now appearing on social media.
The minister further stated that the NUC had no involvement in preparing or approving the list currently being circulated.
“The NUC has never declared the existence of 2,000 fake universities in Nigeria or published, endorsed, or authenticated the purported list of individuals circulating online as fake professors,” he said.
He expressed concern that repeatedly sharing the allegations could damage the reputation of Nigerian universities and weaken public confidence in the country’s education system.
“The ministry expresses concern over the persistent recycling of these false claims, which are calculated to undermine public confidence in Nigerian universities and discredit ongoing efforts to strengthen the education sector, particularly the university system,” the statement read.
The Federal Government consequently urged Nigerians, journalists and social media users to stop spreading the unverified claims.
Alausa also encouraged members of the public to confirm information about accredited institutions and academic qualifications directly through the NUC’s recognised communication channels.