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This will definitely sound incredible. But it’s true. Many illegal private universities across the country are awarding PhD certificates, even as those studying for masters degrees pay as much as N1.5 million to complete their programme in just six months.
This was the shocking discovery by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Committee on the Closure of Illegal Degree-Awarding Universities when the body stormed two unapproved private universities in Lagos.
The committee stormed the private universities alongside officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), State Security Service (SSS) and some journalists.
A high drama played out at a three-bedroom flat, which served as study centre for Evangel Christian University of America and the shopping mall used, as Clinton University when the proprietor and bursar claimed they had approval to operate but could not back up their claim when the chairman of the NUC committee, Prof. Adebisi Balogun, requested for their approval papers.
When the NUC and ICPC team, which included Mr. Moses Awe, Dr. Lawrence Ogugua, Mr. Adewale Adenuga, Mr. Kingsely and Mr. Folurunso Ariyo and some journalists stormed the two degree-awarding mills, what they saw, including students’ admission lists, receipts for tuition payment, organogram of principal officers and numerous completed projects baffled them.
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At Evangel Christian University of America, which was being run in a three-bedroom flat, the NUC/ICPC team met the Bursar, Dr. Philip Nnaji, and a lady administrative officer. When confronted by Prof. Balogun that the school was operating illegally, Dr. Nnaji, with all the confidence he could muster, said the school was a study centre, insisting that its America affiliate awarded the certificate.
He said: “The school has proper documents to back up its operation and could not register with NUC. Sir, the university is duly registered and the necessary documents are with the vice chancellor. I am the bursar of this centre. We have students. I teach also. We have lecturers, who come from outside the university. I don’t know when the university started but I got my PhD in 2013 from the same university.”
“People are attracted to study here because of where the certificate is coming from. We also award diplomas. It takes one year for a student to bag his/her PhD. We also offer BA degrees, which take four years whereas it takes students one year to bag a masters degree.”
Investigations revealed that Evangel Christian University of America started business in 1976 and has since graduated thousands of students. It claimed to have been accredited by Transworld Accrediting Commission and had study centres in Aba, Umuhia, Port Harcourt and Akwa Ibom.
After the place was sealed off, the team went away with vital documents, including forms sold to students for N10, 000, completed projects, answer scripts and receipt, bearing $1,050 paid to Dr. Nnaji’s account. Thereafter, he was arrested and taken away by men of the State Security Service (SSS).
At the shopping complex located at Ojokoro Housing Estate, the proprietor of Clinton University, Mr. Clinton Uranta, and two of his staff were on ground, working on students’ application forms. When confronted about the operation of the illegal university, Mr. Uranta produced a letter and told the team that he applied to NUC in 2013 and that based on that, he was invited to Abuja through a text message.
Uranta added: “When I got to the NUC office in Abuja, they refused me because I came alone. This year, I applied for registration of the proposed Clinton University. We went for interview and succeeded. The NUC wrote us in June 2014, asking us to come and pick the approval papers to run the institution.”
When Prof. Balogun told him that even if he had applied to run a private university, it did not mean that he had the right to start running a university without going through the 14 steps required and that he had just taken the first step, Mr. Uranta cut in, saying, “we prepare students for professional/external examinations.”
Following Mr. Uranta’s persistence that he had complied with NUC regulations, Prof. Balogun took time to explain to him that he was running an illegal university. “You only applied and now you are selling degree forms. You ought to know the law and know your limit. We have seen evidence that you started the process but you went ahead to start operation.”
When told that he was under arrest for operating an illegal degree-awarding university, Mr. Uranta told the ICPC and SSS personnel that it was unfair to take him away because from the evidence on ground, he had complied with the requirement for registration. He said: “The process is on, even if it will take me up to ten years. Out of NUC 14 steps, we have got to the third step.”
The NUC/ICPC team took away several documents, which included admission list, receipts for payment and computer hard ware. The entire second floor of the shopping mall, which the university occupied, was sealed off. It was discovered that application form costs N10,000 while tuition fee for Master of Science (Msc.) in Information Technology costs N1 million. It was discovered that the illegal institution ran courses, leading to the award of B.Tech, LLB, PGD, MBA, LLM, MLIR, MPA and Msc. degree certificates.
After their arrest, the proprietor of Clinton University and the Bursar of Evangel Christian University of America, were taken to SSS office in Shangisha where they would be asked to make their statements in writing.
Speaking to newsmen after the operation, Prof. Balogun explained that in 2001, the Federal Government gave NUC the mandate to check the operation of illegal-degree awarding institutions and in 2006, the commission set up the Committee on Closure of Illegal Private Universities. He explained that for over three years now, the name of Clinton University had been appearing on the NUC list of illegal universities adding, “we have been monitoring them for a long time.”
He disclosed that the operation of the illegal degree awarding mills was affecting the quality of education in the country as well as the quality of graduates produced while accusing the operators of milking innocent people.
He warned: “We will continue to clampdown on illegal universities. Parents should go through NUC weekly bulletins to know the approved universities instead of sending their children and wards to the illegal degree-awarding mills. They are wasting their money. And at the end of the day, the certificates will not be recognised.”
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