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The National Universities Commission (NUC) has released a comprehensive list of 58 illegal universities operating across Nigeria, warning parents and students to steer clear of such institutions or risk obtaining worthless certificates.
In a public notice, the Commission described the listed institutions as “degree mills” with no legal approval to run academic programmes in the country.
“For the avoidance of doubt, anybody who patronises or obtains any certificate from any of these illegal institutions does so at his or her own risk,” the NUC declared.
The commission further disclosed that security and law enforcement agencies had been alerted to take action against operators of the unapproved institutions.
It also revealed that eight more universities were currently under investigation for allegedly running unauthorised degree programmes.
Among the blacklisted schools were the University of Accountancy and Management Studies; Christians of Charity American University of Science and Technology, Nkpor, Anambra; University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos; Royal University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; United Christian University, Imo; UNESCO University, Ndoni, Rivers; Saint Augustine’s University of Technology, Jos; Columbus University, UK (with study centres in Nigeria); and several others.
The NUC emphasised that only duly accredited universities were authorised to award degrees in Nigeria, urging prospective students to always verify the status of institutions before seeking admission.
With the rise of fake universities targeting unsuspecting students, education stakeholders have renewed calls for stronger monitoring, enforcement, and public awareness to protect Nigeria’s higher education system from academic fraud.
