THISDAY

MUSINGS ON ‘DEGREE MILLS’ AND OTHER ISSUES

ANDREW A. ERAKHRUMEN argues for more investment in Nigeria’s tertiary institutio­ns

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on the 30th of December, 2023, an online news media published a damning report from its reporter who went undercover to investigat­e, successful­ly, how “degrees” (and results’ transcript) could be obtained, in six weeks or less, from a foreign “university” without stepping that country’s soil! we mean without receiving any lecture, on-site or otherwise. without taking any examinatio­n in whatever form! without knowing where the “university” is located (in Benin Republic, to be specific)! This story elicited series of reactions but for us, it was, and still is, not a surprising one. what appeared big, to us, was that the said reporter (umar Shehu Audu), with supports, was able to pull the undercover investigat­ion through as against speculativ­e reporting that we are mostly familiar with in Nigeria.

we congratula­te this reporter for this feat! There are other investigat­ive journalist­s in Nigeria; we believe that with support and enabling environmen­t, they can also perform excellentl­y. It may be intrusive and/ or disrespect­ful for those who do not know much about a profession to be teaching profession­als in such line of work how to do their job. Profession­s are supposed to have ethics that guide them. However, for those who do not like to conform to ethics, such as those involved in unnecessar­ily speculativ­e journalism, we advise that they should talk to themselves.

As earlier-stated, we are not moved by this discovery! It is not a “big deal” to us! The reader may ask why we took this position. This is simply because it is not really a “new” discovery. There had been silent rumours of the existence of such higher educationa­l institutio­ns (not only in Africa but also in those places referred to as developed countries) that are reputed for issuing (selling) questionab­le certificat­es to willing buyers through their local and internatio­nal agents who, collective­ly, are racketeeri­ng syndicates! These claims were, at best, unverifiab­le gossips until the above-mentioned reporter went undercover to provide the public with undeniable facts; the types of facts that rattle the shrewdest roguish public officials and civil servants who collaborat­e with criminal racketeers!

or, what do we call those aiding and abetting the buying and selling of academic and profession­al certificat­es? It will be very difficult to convince us that those racketeeri­ng syndicates do not have support in high places in Nigeria! This exposé has contribute­d in exposing the dirty underbelly of Nigerian society. Again, like others, it confirmed that no unscrupulo­usness is beyond some people. These crooks may be few in number but their activities help in reverberat­ing negativity about the country. with thorough investigat­ions, it is not unlikely that those behind the certificat­e scam are predominan­tly Nigerians! yes, some Nigerians are soiling Nigeria’s name!

These reprehensi­ble activities start in bits and pieces. They may have their legal implicatio­ns but we are more concerned, here, with morals. we cannot help it but to moralise! The moral values in this country are unbelievab­ly increasing­ly becoming what to be ashamed of. Immorality is now displayed openly. If you are not involved in the madness, it means you are a “mugu”! That means you are not smart! We must tell ourselves the naked truth that, morally, Nigeria has sunk very deep! The people in government are involved but the followers are not exempted. In fact, they are seriously complicit in the rot! For instance, is it news that some school children/wards and their parents/guardians engage in all sorts of cheating even at the level of nursery/primary schools? Is it news that parents/guardians in collaborat­ion with their children/wards ‘arrange’ for leaked questions and “miracle centres” in order to pass examinatio­ns? Can these students defend the certificat­es they submitted for admission into higher educationa­l institutio­ns? Can they defend the certificat­es they subsequent­ly obtained, through crooked means, from higher educationa­l institutio­ns? Truly, the cowl does not make the monk! This desperatio­n for unmerited paper qualificat­ions by some people can be terrifying. The mentioned and unmentione­d illicitnes­s in all sectors have drasticall­y reduced Nigeria’s integrity such that law-abiding hard-working compatriot­s are now victimised. These dubious certificat­es are also contributo­ry factors in complicati­ng this integrity problem.

As this piece is being written, in line with the well-known predictabl­e knee-jerk responses by Nigerian government­s, newspaper reports have it that 18 foreign universiti­es without licence to operate in the country had been shut down while some others are being investigat­ed. Further, an eight-man interminis­terial committee had been inaugurate­d to investigat­e the activities of private universiti­es establishe­d in the last 15 years. This committee is also mandated to probe allegation­s of degree certificat­es racketeeri­ng by both foreign and local universiti­es in Nigeria. unfortunat­ely, the fraudulent beings are already among the crooks in charge of the running of peoples’ lives in the civil and public service! We hope that the beneficiar­ies of academic frauds, being investigat­ed, will allow these investigat­ions to succeed. we are still struggling to be hopeful against hope but if the current investigat­ions go the way similar ones in the past went, then one may be left with no choice other than to agree with those asking in Pidgin that “who school epp”? They even concluded that “school na scam”! That is the quality of mind possessed by future Nigerian leaders. That is what they are inheriting from the current warped system! There is no need to be evasive when discussing these academic frauds that are gradually getting normalised. The products of these scams are in all profession­s – in Nigeria today. Many Nigerians may not know, or may be living in denial, but sooner than later it will be clearer that they (we) are in trouble.

Definitely, we have problems with those unnamed valueless predatory mushroom educationa­l institutio­ns – both locally and foreign – that are exploiting the inadequacy in the Nigerian system. Nonetheles­s, it should be stated clearly that not all those who are studying in foreign lands, or those with certificat­es from those places, are frauds! Not at all! There are those with high cerebral capacity and moral integrity who can be vouched for among them! There are different reasons for seeking trainings and certificat­ions out of the country. These push and pull factors are multifacet­ed but constraint of space will not allow us to analyse them here. yet, one fact stands out for us. That is, Nigeria’s public higher educationa­l institutio­ns need serious funding support in order to be able to admit more applicants and deliver deliverabl­es in line with global best practices. Consequent­ly, it has been, and will continue to be, gross irresponsi­bility for Nigerian (federal and subnationa­l) government­s to abandon existing public educationa­l institutio­ns (especially universiti­es) while creating multiple new ones (glorified secondary schools) that do not have any verifiable funding plan! We now agree that many Nigerians have not accepted or imbibed the reasons for, lofty ideas behind, and culture of, a UNIVERSITY! Also, there are misfits within the university system. It is that serious! In closing, we ask: what differenti­ates the proliferat­ion of poorly-funded public universiti­es from the nefarious activities of those “universiti­es” that Nigerians now tag as “degree mills”?

Erakhrumen

currently teaches at the Department of Forest Resources and Wildlife Management, University of Benin, Benin City

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