FG Shuts 22 Illegal Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Government, through the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), has uncovered and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country.

The move was part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on unlicensed tertiary institutions undermining the integrity of Nigeria’s education system.

According to the commission, in addition to shutting down the fake institutions, it also carried out personnel audits and financial monitoring across all 21 federal colleges of education.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier directed the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the NCCE to intensify efforts in eliminating illegal higher institutions in the country.

Speaking during the 14th convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria in Abuja, the President — represented by the Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Ilyasu — described such institutions as “certificate mills” that threaten the credibility of Nigeria’s education sector.

He emphasized that his administration remains committed to safeguarding academic standards, stressing that agencies such as the NYSC, JAMB, NUC, NBTE, and NCCE are working together to block cases of forgery and clamp down on unrecognised institutions both within and outside the country.