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Tag: Fake Certificates

  • FG threatens job loss over 21,600 students parading fake certificates

    FG threatens job loss over 21,600 students parading fake certificates

    The Federal Government has said no fewer than 21,600 students are parading fake certificates obtained from degree mills institutions in Benin Republic, Togo and others. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed this during a ministerial press briefing on his one year achievements in the ministry, in Abuja on Friday. According to Mamman, 1,105 students are holding fake certificates from Togo alone.

    Recall the federal government had in March set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling, to probe the activities of certificate racketeers. This followed an investigative report published by Daily Nigerian which exposed the activities of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.

    The Minister said that fake degrees from Nigerian and foreign universities would be flushed out of the system.

    “The federal government has directed that the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to issue circular to flush out anybody with fake certificates from these institutions. In Togo, there are three universities that are officially approved and licenced to offer degree courses and in Benin Republic, we have five institutions licenced for degree courses,” he said.

    Speaking on the challenges of tertiary institutions in meeting their needs as a result the high electricity tariffs, Mamman said President Bola Tinubu had approved a long term solution of powering the institutions through CNG.

    He added that in the last one year, the ministry had been able to return about four million out-of-school children back to school. He said this was achieved  through the efforts of agencies under the ministry.

    “Henceforth, on annual basis, we will be returning about four million out-of-school children back to school to address the menace. The Almajiri commission that was just established about a year ago is doing a lot in helping to return the out-of-school children back to school.

    “In the last two weeks, through the Almajiri commission, about 20,000 students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been registered to resume in the next academic session. This gesture will trickle down to other states and we are going to see to it that our children get back to school.

    “We have also set up a committee with UNESCO and World Bank to review the existing policy for teachers’ support, welfare and development using the global best practices.

    “By the time the government implement these policies in the next three years, the system of education would have been completed transformed,” the minister said.

    On safety of students in the wake of the recent school collapse in Jos, Mamman pledged to collaborate with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN)  to check school facilities across the country.

    He said that the step would go a long way in checking sharp practices by building contractors.

    The minister disclosed that efforts are being made to meet the need of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to avert their planned strike actions.

  • Niger uncovers 2,286 primary school teachers with fake certificates

    Niger uncovers 2,286 primary school teachers with fake certificates

    The 2020 Staff Audit Committee constituted by the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), on Monday said that no fewer than 2,286 primary school teachers were using questionable certificates.
    Alhaji Ayuba Katako, Central Chairman of the Committee, made this known during the presentation of the 2020 Staff Audit report to the board’s management of NSUBEB in Minna.
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the board’s management had in June set up a six-man committee to audit both teaching and non-teaching staff members of NSUBEB across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.
    Katako said that there were 28,058 staff in the primary schools across the state, adding that 26,00 7 of them were screened, out of which 23,721 were cleared and fit to work with SUBEB.
    He noted that 2,286 of these primary school teachers were using questionable certificates as some of them could not read and write.
    “When they heard that screening was going on they just came to clear themselves and they are on the payroll.
    “Some of them went to roadside business centres to print out certificates and we could not ascertain their authenticity,” he said.
    He disclosed that most of these certificates were reading National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna and did not resemble the actual certificates issued by NTI.
    Katako, however, noted that the committee also discovered pending promotion of teachers, and in Zone A, teachers with PhD were the ones teaching in classrooms while those with Masters were the ones in the office.
    Responding, Dr Adamu Isah, the state Chairman of SUBEB, commended the committee for conducting the exercise effectively, and said that the board would follow due diligence of civil service rules to take decision on those found wanting.
    He added that any teacher who could neither write nor read would be disengaged as teachers and engaged in another field.
    “These people will be engaged as cleaners, nannies and some at local government offices in accordance with their capacities,” he said.
    Isah noted that they would get in touch with the institutions issuing those certificates to confirm their authenticity and anyone whose certificate was not authentic would have the appointment terminated.
    He, however, gave assurance that the report of the committee would be implemented.
    Also, Alhaji Kabiru Abbas, Board Member II, commended the committee and said that the report “brings an end to all allegations and insinuations from the public”.

  • Agency uncovers fake certificates, promotion letters in Cross River

    Agency uncovers fake certificates, promotion letters in Cross River

    The Cross River Primary Health Care Development Agency (CRPHCDA) said on Tuesday that it had uncovered fake certificates, promotion letters and other irregularities during the ongoing verification exercise.

    Dr Betta Edu, the Director-General of the agency, disclosed this to newsmen at the ongoing personnel audit conducted by the Primary Healthcare Centre, Ediba, Calabar.

    Edu said that the exercise became imperative following Governor Ben Ayade’s directive to fish out ghost workers in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state.

    He said that records showed that there were 4,000 health workers in all the primary healthcare centres across the state as at December 2015 when he assumed duty.

    “From the needs assessment and unscheduled visit to most of the health centres, it was evident that the number on paper being paid salaries does not truly exist.

    “The last four days have been the toughest as the chief servant of primary healthcare in Cross River. I have seen tears, drama, heard loud voices, confession, begging and plea for amnesty.

    “I have seen forged documents, no practicing licence, fake promotion letters, irregularities in salaries received, enough lies on how some people’s documents were eaten by their grandmother’s cat and lots more.

    “I have seen persons who finished First School Leaving Certificate at the age of four and others who had West African Examination Council result at the age of five.

    “I have seen people of my mother’s age looking at me in the face and telling me that they are 10 years younger. The question is, how did things get this bad?

    “If things like this occur in other spheres, should it occur in the health sector, where the precious lives of people are at stake? Should this be allowed to continue?”

    She said that she had rejected so many phones calls from people asking her to lower the standard of the audit and clear their relatives, adding that the right thing must be done to save lives.

    The DG said that the state needed health workers to deliver efficient healthcare service to the people.

    According to her, the state health insurance scheme tagged ‘Ayade Care’, needs capable health workforce to make it functional and effective.

    “We need the right people with the right skills to deliver our pregnant women and keep our babies alive.

    “We want to set the right foundation for primary healthcare in Cross River and build a system that truly works.

    “We have, so far, carried out the exercise in six local government areas.

    We are left with 12 council areas and I can assure you that at the end of the exercise, necessary actions will be taken,” she said.

    However, Edu did not disclose the actual number of people with fake document and promotion letters so far discovered.

     

    NAN