The House of Representatives has summoned the Ministers of Education, Foreign Affairs, Youth Development, and Interior, alongside the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), over alarming allegations of certificate racketeering involving some Nigerians.

 

The invitation comes ahead of an investigative public hearing scheduled for Monday, May 19, 2025. The hearing is being convened by the House Joint Committee tasked with probing the alleged abuse in the education system.

 

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, expressed deep concern in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja. He vowed that the National Assembly would tackle the issue head-on.

 

Other institutions and stakeholders invited to appear include the Committee of Vice Chancellors, the National Universities Commission (NUC), Penlight Media Ltd., and the Ministry of Higher and Science Education of the Republic of Benin (Ambassade De La Republique Du Benin, Abuja).

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Fulata noted that formal invitations had already been dispatched to all relevant public and private bodies, but emphasized the importance of compliance. “This public notice serves as a final reminder. Any head of agency or organization who fails to appear will be viewed as complicit in encouraging corruption and certificate racketeering in Nigeria’s education sector,” he said.

 

The lawmaker disclosed that the House’s action was spurred by a journalist’s undercover investigation, which exposed a widespread scheme in which foreign certificates were acquired in a matter of weeks—followed by unlawful participation in the NYSC program.

 

“This development is deeply troubling,” Fulata said. “While many Nigerians work hard to obtain academic qualifications legitimately, others exploit illegal channels to acquire certificates and secure jobs, threatening the integrity of our institutions and endangering national progress.”

 

He further revealed that several key agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the Nigerian Immigration Service, had yet to submit requested documentation to the committee. Additionally, 52 federal universities, 61 state universities, and 93 private universities have not complied with the committee’s directive for submissions.

 

The House vowed to ensure transparency and accountability, stressing that the integrity of Nigeria’s education system must be protected at all costs.