According to a recent article in the Sun News Online, thousands of Nigerian students have been shocked to learn that they have been attending illegal universities and that any transcripts, certificates, or degrees they may have earned are worthless. The National Universities Commission raided several study centres and closed them for operating without federal government approval. In some situations, lectures were being taught by unqualified instructors, tuition was paid to third party accounts, approval was granted for specific programs but other, higher level programs were offered instead, and other nefarious methods were used to trick students into believing they were earning legitimate, valid credentials. In other situations, though, the main campus of an institution was legitimately authorized but not the illegal campus in question. In some cases, the institutions outright lied and printed false advertising materials.
These are some of the specific institutions mentioned in the article. Inclusion on this list means only that the institution in question was listed in the article, either as one of the universities or study centres to be closed OR as universities whose names have been illegally and unknowingly co-opted by this fraud. Please read the complete article for further details.
- Topmost International Comprehensive Secondary School
- Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State
- Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso
- Itire Primary School, Ijesha, Lagos
- University of Education, Winneba, Ghana
- University of Ibadan (UI)
- Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife
- Charles Lorie French Academy, FESTAC, Lagos
- Institute of Security Management Operations
- Chartered Institute of Administration, Ojo
- Evan Enwerem University, Owerri, Imo State
Students who unwittingly enrolled in these fraudulent programs have little recourse but have been advised to enroll in the National Open University of Nigeria or the University of Lagos Distance Learning Program while attempting to hold the proprietors financially responsible.