The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has uncovered 3,000 fake graduates possessing illegal certificates across the nation. This was revealed by the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, in a report published in the board’s bulletin.

Oloyede disclosed that those involved in this fraudulent activity had never attended any classes. He made these comments during a meeting with the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities in Nigeria (COPSUN) at the National Headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.

The registrar condemned the practice of illegal admissions, stating that such actions are embarrassing to the country. According to the bulletin, “Some ‘graduates’ had never entered the four walls of a university due to endemic corruption, but the board had documented over 3,000 of such cases. The illegal admission of candidates into tertiary institutions in the country is an embarrassment and a disservice to the nation.”

Oloyede urged COPSUN to crack down on underhand admissions. Previously, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education ordered JAMB in December 2023 to present a list of tertiary institutions involved in irregular and illegal admissions.

JAMB had earlier warned candidates against accepting admissions from institutions without full academic participation. In a statement titled “Cessation of illegal/irregular admission,” JAMB reiterated that all applications for first-degree, national diploma, national innovation diploma, and Nigeria certificate in education into full-time, distance learning, part-time, outreach, and sandwich programs must be processed only through JAMB.

During the third matriculation ceremony at Thomas Adewumi University in Kwara State, Oloyede, represented by Assistant Director Ganiyu Yahaya, emphasized the importance of CAPS. He stated, “For any admission into tertiary institutions, it has to be done through CAPS on the JAMB portal. Any admission outside CAPS, irrespective of the institution, is illegal.”

JAMB also warned candidates opting for illegal admissions that they would face severe consequences. In 2021, Oloyede raised an alarm against offering admissions outside CAPS, noting that such practices distort enrollment statistics required for national planning and development strategies, and violate ministerial directives on education policy.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja, Oloyede revealed that Nigerian tertiary institutions had offered a total of 706,189 illegal admissions across universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and mono-technics between 2017 and 2020.

Oloyede noted that 114 degree-awarding institutions, including universities and their affiliated colleges of education, conducted 67,795 illegal admissions during this period. Additionally, 137 institutions offering National Diploma (ND) certificates conducted 142,818 illegal admissions, while 37 mono-technic institutions offered 5,678 illegal admissions.

The JAMB registrar explained that the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), introduced in 2017, ensures quality control, transparency, and credibility of admissions by eliminating human interference. The system allows institutions to admit candidates meeting set criteria, with approvals from JAMB and acceptance from candidates.

Despite the CAPS system, some institutions continue to defy the policy. Oloyede highlighted the universities with the highest number of illegal admissions, including Plateau State University with 7,600 cases, Benue State University with 6,161 cases, Olabisi Onabanjo University with 5,669 cases, Kwara State University with 4,281 cases, and Novena University with 3,432 cases.

Among ND certificate-awarding institutions, Kwara State Polytechnic topped the chart with 45,471 cases in three years, followed by Auchi Polytechnic with 37,828 cases, and Yaba College of Technology with 30,856 cases. Other institutions include Federal Polytechnic, Oko, and Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, each with 24,335 cases.