NYSC: FG stops private varsitiesa�� graduates from Nigeriaa��s neighbours

By Felix Khanoba and Ijeoma Anyanwu
The Federal Government will no longer allow graduates of some private universities in Nigeriaa��s neighbouring countries to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Sonny Echono, has said.
Echono stated this on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration/33rd meeting of the National Standing Committee on Evaluation and Accreditation of Foreign Qualifications.
Represented by the Director for Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), Mr. Ifegwu Orji, he said that some private universities in Ghana, Cameroun, Togo, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, among others, had developed the habit of graduating Nigerian students from unaccredited programmes.
His words: a�?The committee may also look into issues of flouting of the rules by some approved private institutions in the Republics of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cameroun etc.
a�?These institutions graduate students in unaccredited /unapproved courses, especially medical sciences, health and engineering courses.
a�?The ministry has stopped issuing eligibility letters to such students. They are no longer permitted to serve in the NYSC, pending the accreditation of such courses by the relevant bodies.a�?
Inaugurating the committee, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, charged the members to carry out their duties with diligence as their recommendations would affect the future of about 40,000 Nigerians in tertiary institutions in various African countries.
He listed the committeea��s terms of reference to include setting criteria for evaluation of foreign certificates and diplomas; decide on Nigerian equivalents of foreign qualifications; and consider and recommend criteria for recognition of degrees obtained outside Nigeria, among others.
Earlier, the Director, Education Support Services, who doubles as chairperson of the committee, Mrs. Justina Ibe, said that the body was established to address the issues of accreditation and authentication of foreign certificates.
According to Ibe, the move had eliminated the activities of fraudsters and touts who masquerade around the ministry to defraud Nigerians on the premise of authenticating their results.
a�?From 2015 to 2017, not less than 20 persons have been caught and handed over to either the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) or Police with respect of forgery of certificates, presentation of fake certificates, forgery of signatures of ministry officials etc. Of which one person has been jailed for seven years for massive forgery of certificates,a�? Ibe said.