A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, has described the prevalence of fake certificates from foreign universities as a “tragedy” undermining Nigeria’s education system.
In an interview, Adeniran stated that Nigeria’s concern with paper degrees reveals profound problems in cultural norms.
“We seem to be giving a lot of attention to paper certificates. People just show up and say, ‘OK, what we need is a school certificate.’ “Once you produce it, that’s the end of it,” he observed.
According to the former minister, this mindset has resulted in claimed graduates who can hardly write, while people with fraudulent foreign certificates get jobs and places they do not deserve.
To tackle this, Adeniran said, “Our recruitment processes must be more diligent, careful, and thorough.”
According to him, qualifications should be verified to ensure applicants have the proper skills and training.
The ex-minister who also noted that neighbouring countries can help by respecting Nigeria’s strict standards, however, stressed that “the responsibility lies with Nigerians.”
Adeniran recommended starting with the National Council of Education formulating solutions, reorienting Nigeria’s education leaders to value learning over papers, and educating society that national development depends on proper education.
He also called for enhancing the skills and motivation of inspectors verifying qualifications.
During his tenure, Adeniran said he prioritised visitation panels to ensure quality control at universities.
The former minister reiterated, “We must take education more seriously rather than obsessing over worthless foreign certificates.
“More robust laws with harsh penalties for fakes are needed.”
Adeniran noted that while he envisions that technology could help detect fraudulent certificates, beyond that, acting decisively on findings is crucial.
He said, “It is not just about finding out; to find out, yes, technology can be very useful.”