Abuja, Nigeria – The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has shut down 22 illegal and unaccredited Colleges of Education across Nigeria following a comprehensive nationwide audit.
The closure follows an extensive review that revealed these institutions fell short of the required academic, personnel, and financial standards mandated for accredited tertiary institutions.
The NCCE also conducted personnel audits and financial monitoring exercises across all 21 federal Colleges of Education to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
This decisive action aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive for education regulatory agencies, including the NCCE, National Universities Commission (NUC), and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), to intensify efforts to eliminate illegal institutions undermining Nigeria’s educational integrity.
At the 14th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, President Tinubu, represented by Rakiya Ilyasu, Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, condemned “certificate millers” for threatening the quality of Nigerian academic qualifications.
“We remain committed to strengthening coordination among all education agencies to eradicate forgery and unrecognized institutions, ensuring a robust and credible education ecosystem,” the President said.
Education experts warn that unaccredited colleges prey on vulnerable students seeking affordable higher education, resulting in a proliferation of low-quality graduates ill-prepared for the workforce and posing risks to national development.